Statesboro Magazine July/Aug 2017 Edition

July & August 2017

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Bonus Section!

The BOE 2017-2018 Annual Report

All About Bulloch

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FROM THE EDITOR

N

Established March 1, 2000

Jenny Starling Foss Editor

New things are happening all over town!

In this issue we are profiling four community leaders who are bringing fresh ideas along with years of experience and expertise to their new respective roles.

For the first time in 13 years, there’s a new executive director at the Averitt Center for the Arts. Jamie Grady of New York City accepted the position in April and immediately started bringing new direction and new ideas to the organization. In his first month on the job, he created a budget, co-hosted a Business after Hours event, presided over an annual meeting, and planned great acts for the stage this fall! Inside we profile Statesboro’s newest community leader and get his ideas on the Averitt’s bright future.

Another new leader that we’ve welcomed to the community recently is Georgia Power Area Manager Audrey King. King arrived in Statesboro on the waves of Hurricane Matthew and immediately started organizing clean-up and restoration of electricity for a service area that reaches from Swainsboro to St. Mary’s. Read about her journey to the top in our story, Woman of Power, beginning on page 24.

Randy Wetmore came all the way from Iowa last September to become Statesboro’s new city manager. He’s spent his entire career managing cities ranging in size from 30,000 to 200,000, in Iowa, Kansas, Tennessee, and Oregon. For Randy it’s about serving and the greater good, being in the arena and working to make a positive difference for the community.

New Police Chief Mike Broadhead arrived in April from Riverton, Wyoming, a town of around 11,000 residents, where he’s been chief for seven years. The heart of his mission for Statesboro is to promote the Police Department as an asset to the community that’s a necessary part of the whole. He’s philosophical about the role law enforcement should play within society.

A new school year begins August 1st, so we’ve partnered again with the Bulloch County Board of Education to bring you the 2017-2018 Annual Report in a Bonus Section. Find out everything you need to know about the school system – performance grades, career pathways, success rates and more! Keep this issue for reference throughout the school year.

It’s a new day for Statesboro and Bulloch County, expect great things!

Joe McGlamery Publisher

Hunter McCumber Art Director

Erica Sellers Advertising & Marketing Director

Frank Fortune Contributing Photographer Statesboro Magazine is proudly produced by:

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION, PLEASE E-MAIL: esellers@StatesboroMagazine.com FOR EDITORIAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL: editor@StatesboroMagazine.com MAILING ADDRESS: PHYSICAL ADDRESS: P. O. Box 1084 16 Simmons Statesboro, GA Shopping Center 30459 Statesboro, GA 30458 p: 912.489.2181 f: 912.489.8613

July & August 2017

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Jenny Foss, Editor March/April 2016 • 45

Bonus Section !

The BOE 2017-2018 Annual Report

Proud publishers of Statesboro Magazine, Weddings by Statesboro Magazine, and GSU’s official football program – FLIGHT!

4 • Statesboro Magazine

Featured Contributors Frank Fortune Frank is the national award winning freelance photographer who holds the distinction of shooting 18 years’ worth of covers for Statesboro Magazine.

He retired from Georgia Southern after having been responsible for capturing the University’s history on film and video for 30 years. Throughout his career Frank’s enjoyed all aspects of photography, including sports, still-life, landscape, and architecture. He and his wife, Mandy, are the proud parents of teens, Jack and Cate.

Tormenta FC

P

artners in

rogress

To promote a better, healthier and happier community, Statesboro Magazine is

Heidi Jeffers is the Vice President of Franchise Development for the TORMENTA FC Professional Development League soccer team located in Statesboro. A specialist in Sports Marketing and Sports Tourism, Heidi joined TORMENTA FC in December 2015, after having served as the Executive Director of the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau for five years. She has over 25 years of economic development experience in logistics, industrial, retail, commercial and tourism development.

TRUE Blue From Eagle Nation is a column brought to you by Georgia Southern University, where we cherish our place in the larger Statesboro community. In each issue, we hope to bring interesting and informative stories to the readers of Statesboro Magazine.

Doy Cave is the Marketing Content Manager in the Office of Marketing and Communications at the University, and resides with his family in Statesboro.

forming partnerships with those organizations of our community who are dedicated to providing valuable services to the people of Statesboro and Bulloch County.

Call Erica Sellers at 912.489.9488 to learn how your organization can become one of our Partners in Progress.

SPIRITUAL PATHWAYS Bill Perry grew up in Live Oak, Florida, a small town just south of Valdosta, GA. After graduating from Stetson University, he earned three degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2004, he retired as pastor of First Baptist Church of Statesboro after serving that congregation for 22 years. He and his wife, Margaret, registrar of Statesboro High School before her retirement in 2005, have two daughters, five grandsons, and one granddaughter. Bill has been very much involved in community life in Statesboro. He is an avid reader and has been a runner since 1973.

THE VIEW FROM HERE Ric Mandes, a popular essayist, retired after 27 years as Director of Public Relations and Development for Georgia Southern. His memories about growing up and living in South Georgia inspire his writings. He’s a published author and former newspaper columnist for the AJC.

July/August 2017 • 5

Never Too Late to Soar

Georgia Southern University offers a host of options to make sure you remain a lifelong learner.

• UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES • GRADUATE DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES • • CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS • • BOTANIC GARDEN, MUSEUM, PLANETARIUM AND WILDLIFE CENTER •

Contents

July & August 2017

Priceless

Bonus Section!

The BOE 2017-2018 Annual Report

THE CULTURE Talented & Smart Jamie Grady Plays A New Role at the Averitt Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ����������������������������������������������������������

14

Audrey King A Woman of Power Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ����������������������������������������������������������

24

Managing Just Fine Randy Wetmore Guides City Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ���������������������������������������������������������

Special Sections

14

Real Estate ��������������������������������������������������������������

51

30

Mike Broadhead Has The Chief Skills to Lead Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ���������������������������������������������������������

60

IN EVERY ISSUE From the Editor �������������������������������������������������������������������������

4 8

Luxury Homes ��������������������������������������������������������

56

Calendar of Events ��������������������������������������������������������������������

Tech Gurus �������������������������������������������������������������

58

News & Notes �����������������������������������������������������������������������

10

Look Around ��������������������������������������������������������������������������

72

Transitions ������������������������������������������������������������������������������

74

BONUS SECTION

Bulloch County BOE 2017-2018 Annual Report ������������������������������

35-50

Circulation Statesboro Magazine is published bi-monthly (six issues a year) at a $20.00 annual subscription rate by Statesboro Publishing Company, Inc. Standard postage paid at Statesboro, GA. To subscribe, email Statesboro Magazine Editor, Jenny Foss at jfoss@StatesboroMagazine.com or call 912.489.2181. The cover and contents of Statesboro Magazine are fully protected by copyright laws of the United States and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Statesboro Magazine. We are not responsible for loss of unsolicited inquiries, manuscripts, photographs, transparencies or other materials. Such materials will not be returned unless accompanied by return postage. Address letters and editorial contributions to Statesboro Magazine, P.O. Box 1084, Statesboro, GA 30459. Copyright © 2016/2017 by Statesboro Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

FEATURED COLUMNISTS Tormenta FC Written by Heidi Jeffers ��������������������������������������������������������������������

65

True Blue Written by Doy Cave ��������������������������������������������������������������������������

The Spiritual Pathway Written by Rev. Dr. H. William Perry ��������������������������������������������������

67

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The View from Here Written by Ric Mandes �����������������������������������������������������������������������

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July/August 2017 • 7

Calendar

July Sunday

monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday 1 Main Street Farmers Market 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Charlie Olliff Square

2

3

4

7

8

Firecracker Fest

5

6

F1rst Friday

Main Street

5 – 10 p.m.

5 – 8 p.m.

Farmers Market

Mill Creek Park

Downtown Statesboro

9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Charlie Olliff Square

9

14

15

Jungle Book

10

11

12

13

Jungle Book

Tormenta FC vs

Theater Camp

Performance

Tri Cities Otters

July 10th – 14th

7 p.m.

8 p.m.

Averitt Center

Whitaker Black Box

Eagle Field

Theater

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

PDL Soccer Eastern

Main Street

Conference

Farmers Market

Final Four

9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

July 21st - 23rd

Charlie Olliff Square

Hosted by Tormenta FC

23

24

25

31

8 • Statesboro Magazine

27 Open Houses for

Miriam Burnette

Bulloch County

Memorial Softball

Schools

Tournament

30

26

6th Annual

Mill Creek Park (July 25th & 26th)

28

29 Main Street Farmers Market 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Charlie Olliff Square

Calendar

August Sunday

monday

Tuesday 1

6

7

Wednesday 2

Thursday

Saturday

4

5

First Day of School

F1rst Friday

Jaycees Night Out

Bulloch County

Pep Rally

Back to the 90s!

5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Fundraiser

Downtown Statesboro

7 p.m. – Midnight

9

3

Friday

11

12

First Day of School

Splash in the Boro

Main Street

Bulloch Academy

Open Weekends

Farmers Market

8

10

9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Charlie Olliff Square

13

14

15

16

17

18

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Putting Us on the

Brooklet Peanut

Map: Georgia & Its

Festival

Coastal Plain Exhibit

10 a.m. Parade

Museum on Main

20

27

21

22

23

24

25

26

The World’s War

Main Street

Is Georgia’s War

Farmers Market

1917 – 1919

9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

GS Museum Exhibit

Charlie Olliff Square

28

29

30 Main Street Farmers Market

31

Every Saturday 9 AM-12:30 PM Charlie Olliff Square Downtown July/August 2017 • 9

News & Notes

Sponsored by:

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Y O U H AV E A C H O I C E Attorney Francys Johnson

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Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humbly.

— Micah 6:8

St. Philip’s Parish Chapter of DAC Hosts State Assembly The St. Philip’s Parish Chapter of the Daughters of the American Colonists hosted the 83rd Annual Georgia State Assembly at the Holiday Inn Statesboro on February 17 and 18, 2017. The members were honored to have the First Lady of Georgia, Sandra Deal, as keynote speaker. She emphasized how knowing our genealogy and where we come from is important as our legacy, reminding everyone how important it is for this legacy to be passed down to the next generation.

All three daughters of the Governor and First Lady of Georgia are members of the local St. Philip’s Parish Chapter of DAC and were in attendance. In support of his family and this event, the Assembly was honored with the presence of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who Seated (L – R): Sandy Gallemore, Thelma Kilpatrick, Judy Altman, Dr. Betty Lane, Beverly Thomas. Second row attended a meet and greet with all the members. (L – R): Mary Ann Robertson, Woodie Brawner, Brenda Steadman, Nancy Marsh, Jewell Dabbs, Regent Kaye SteThe Assembly was chaired by State Regent, phens, Alecia Evans, Myra Halfacre, Jerry Singletary. Third row (L – R): Kay Clark, Carrie Deal Wilder, Etta Anne Betty Samaras. Other distinguished guests Groover, Bonnie Powell, Mary Emily Deal O’Bradovich, Katie Deal Wright, Meredith Bloser, Jill Powell. included Sue Bratton from Tallahassee, Florida, who is the First Vice Regent of the Southern Section of the National Society of DAC; Linda Harvey, National Recording Secretary; and mayor of Statesboro, Jan J. Moore. Mayor Moore presented a proclamation to the Georgia State Assembly commending the fourteen chapters of the Georgia Society of Daughters of the American Colonists for selecting to assemble in the community of Statesboro. Dr. Betty Lane was also in attendance and is the only original charter member of the local chapter.

The St. Philip’s Parish Chapter is proud to be the largest chapter in the state of Georgia and, also, in the Nation. Current Regent, Kaye Tucker Stephens, who is from Adrian but was reared in Statesboro, expressed appreciation that local members attended this event and helped throughout the planning process. Georgia State Society’s First Vice Regent, Thelma Kilpatrick and Georgia State Historian, Jerry Singletary, both from the local chapter, were primary coordinators of the event.

Membership into the Society only requires that through genealogy research proof is documented of lineal descent from men or woman who were actual residents of America when it was under foreign government as colonies. This proof would go back prior to 1776. New members are always welcomed.

Strickland Foundation Makes Largest Ever Gift to Ogeechee Technical College Foundation In a 2002 resolution adopted by the Georgia General Assembly, it was stated that George W. “Jack” Strickland, “always credited his tremendous success to his dedicated employees and his loyal customers, but his personal leadership, vision, and commitment to the needs of individuals and families have significantly strengthened their opportunities and well-being.” Upon his death in 2010, Mr. Strickland’s commitment was to ensure that his dear wife, Muriel Anderson Strickland, was cared for the remainder of her days, and that was accomplished until she passed away in 2016. Upon Mrs. Strickland’s death, Mr. Strickland’s altruistic nature, even in death, became evident in an even bigger way, as the Pictured at the check presentation for the donation of $500,000 from the George W. Strickland, Jr. Foundation to the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation are, George W. Strickland, Jr. Foundation was created.

OTC Foundation President, Dewey Newton (left center), and Strickland Foundation A significant gift from the Strickland Foundation has been made to chair, Wendell Godbee, (right center). Others pictured, (L-R), are: Doris Tomblin, OTC the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation, Inc., in support of educa- Foundation trustee; Randy Mayfield, OTC local board of directors; Jill Griffin, OTC tion in Evans County. The $500,000 gift will be invested, with proceeds Foundation trustee; Barry Turner, OTC Vice President for College Advancement; dedicated to providing support for dual enrollment efforts in Evans Newton; Lori Durden, OTC President; Godbee; Tammi Hall, OTC local board of direcCounty. tors; Sharon DeLoach, Strickland Foundation secretary; and Tommy Strickland, StrickIn addition to supporting the high school initiative in Evans County, land Foundation vice president. the gift to the Ogeechee Technical College Foundation will assist in establishing a Heavy Diesel Service Technician program at OTC’s Evans Technical Education Complex in Hagan. “There is a great need for diesel technicians, and we think this new program will be a perfect fit for our Evans campus, since our Commercial Truck Driving program is already located there,” stated Durden.

10 • Statesboro Magazine

Main Street Statesboro/Downtown Statesboro Development Authority Receives 2017 National Main Street Accreditation Main Street Statesboro has been designated as an accredited Main Street America™ program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America™ programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach®.

“It is a great honor to recognize this year’s 828 nationally accredited Main Street America™ programs for their outstanding work to transform downtown and neighborhood commercial districts,” says Patrice Frey, president & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “Main Streets are the heart of our communities, and the work they do to create quality public spaces, catalyze local entrepreneurship, and support downtown housing is more important than ever.

Across the county, Main Street America™ programs truly strengthen the economic, social, and cultural fabric of their entire communities.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated

by The Georgia Department of Community Affairs which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.

The Statesboro Main Street Program’s 2016 Community Impact Report includes the program’s progress for the year.

In 2016, Statesboro had 153 promotional events with an attendance of 85,575. They also completed 29 rehabilitation projects that cost $751,972 and over $185,000 in public improvement projects. The total amount of public reinvestment by the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority was $4,637,330.

Executive Director Allen Muldrew stated, “It is a great achievement to be accredited and recognized as part of the Georgia Exceptional Main Street Program (GEMS). We have worked very hard to revitalize our community and it has paid off. Of the 94 Main Street communities in Georgia only 16 were selected as GEMS: Bainbridge, Brunswick, Columbus, Dahlonega, Greensboro, Madison, Milledgeville, Moultrie, Rome, Newnan, Thomasville, Tifton, Toccoa, Tybee Island, Valdosta and Statesboro.”

Main Street Statesboro and the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority are committed to the economic development, historic preservation and beautification of Statesboro’s downtown area. The purpose of Main Street Statesboro and the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority is to revitalize downtown economically and socially within the context of historic preservation by increasing financial viability and ensuring the success of Businesses. www.StatesboroDowntown.org

Georgia Southern Professor Receives NOAA Grant to Collect and Share Georgia’s Fishing History Jennifer Sweeney Tookes, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology, in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS), has been awarded a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOA A) to study Georgia’s fishing community.

Through her project “Georgia’s Fishing Traditions and Fishing Futures: Oral Histories of Commercial Fishing,” she will lead Georgia Southern students alongside the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant Program in interviewing Georgia fishermen. Her research will help showcase Georgia’s rich fishing history.

“Oral life histories of Georgia’s commercial fishermen can mitigate impending cultural loss,” said Tookes. “Social and economic forces, as well as the aging of the workforce and lack of replacement fishermen, means the very fabric of these historic fishing communities is unravelling. Capturing the life stories and experiences of local fishermen is especially important in a coastal state like Georgia, where many communities have depended on the coastal environment for their economic and cultural base for generations.”

Once collected, these interviews will be added to NOA A’s oral history database, “Voices from the Fisheries.” Tookes and her team plan to share what they learn from the interviews with the public at future presentations throughout Georgia.

The research project also supports the Department of Natural Resources’ “Sustainable Communities” theme by identifying and preserving unique community qualities, historical and cultural features, including public education of each. GeorgiaSouthern.edu/CLASS.

Georgia Southern University’s Henderson Library presents ‘A Chinese Art Preview’ The Zach S. Henderson Library will honor the life and art of Jiann-Ping Hsu, Ph.D., and explore the history of Chinese art and calligraphy at ‘A Chinese Art Preview’ on Wednesday, July 12, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. in Library Room 1300.

The event is hosted by the Library’s Special Collections, and will feature some of the beautiful works of Hsu and the many works of art she collected.

In addition to being the namesake of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Hsu was a scholar, scientist and artist who devoted her career to public health before losing a long battle with cancer in 2004. She served with the Food and Drug Administration, served in the leadership of several pharmaceutical companies, and was a research consultant with Biopharmaceutical Research Consultants, Inc., a research consulting organization founded by her husband, Karl E. Peace, Ph.D. Peace endowed the College of Public Health in her name as a celebration of her life.

July/August 2017 • 11

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Talented and Smart

Talented and Smart Jamie Grady Plays New Role at Averitt Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune

14 • Statesboro Magazine

Talented and Smart

July/August 2017 • 15

Talented and Smart

W What does Jamie Grady, the new executive director of the Averitt Center for the Arts, like best about the opportunity to run the community’s three arts venues? “I like the adventure, the discovery, the exploring, the excitement, the response of working with others to make an impact on the community through the arts,” he said. “I learn something new with every experience.”

An arts consultant for almost 20 years, Grady was attracted to the challenges of leading an arts organization such as the Averitt, with an impressive footprint in the downtown area. “I’m excited about being able to make a difference here,” he said.

As a consultant, Grady has worked with a variety of arts organizations including the Long Island Youth Orchestra where he served as both administrator and fundraiser. He developed a business plan for a live Quiz Show and a strategic plan for the New Jersey Ballet.

His fundraising expertise led to a position with a political organization, the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand. While in Wellington,

16 • Statesboro Magazine

W

New Zealand, Grady worked with the national symphony orchestra increasing fundraising and participation.

Grady has also served as an assistant professor lecturing in fundraising, theater management, publicity, marketing, and production at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Point Park University in Pittsburg, and Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y. A native of Massachusetts, Grady grew up in Holyoke, the third of four children in the Irish family of Jim and Joan Grady. There he attended public schools where he was taught Latin for three years and remembers being greatly influenced by teacher Tom Donahue. The liberal arts education he received made an early impression.

“By fourth grade I was playing the guitar,” he said. “In middle school I took up photography, developing sports photos in a dark room.”

By high school he was playing guitar with four guys in a band they named “The Narrowbacks.”

“I was the manager and I talked to bar owners and negotiated the contracts for us to play around the area in local bars and at festivals. We toured Connecticut and were doing it mostly for fun,” he said.

“I was an industrious person, I had a paper route, a small route, and at one point a customer on the route had a box of records: Beatles, Bread, America, the Rolling Stones, the blues. I rang the bell and asked to buy the box for $10. There had to be at least 100 albums in that box and I listened to every one of them. That experience shaped me to try the fringe, to listen to new things,” he said.

“I did joint enrollment in college with both classical music and photography. I wasn’t sure about jobs for photographers. I could only think of newspapers, so I chose to finish with a business degree for general application,” he said.

He had two best friends in college that shared

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We’re online. his interest in music. “One liked heavy metal and the other liked the Grateful Dead. I was more 80’s music. We became friends and saw shows and learned from each other,” he said.

The Dad of one of his college friends once invited Dizzy Gillespie into the family’s home.

After that experience, “we would go to Boston to listen to jazz and we liked it,” said Grady.

When he graduated, he had no idea what kind of job to pursue. “Corporate jobs were not attractive to me. I found a position with a nonprofit theater company in Springfield, Mass.,” he said. “I ate it up. It was a very ‘theatrical’ experience. I became as involved as I could, the sets, the lighting. I started going to all kinds of plays.

There had been two in college that I saw, Cats and Glengarry Glenn Ross with Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey. Those experiences really opened my eyes to the theater.”

When the performance season ended, Grady worked in summer stock in Western Mass.

After working with a variety of shows and gaining experience with all facets of theater production, he decided to go back to college for a Masters in arts administration. That led to a job as managing director of Actor’s Express, a theater company in Atlanta, at the young age of 30.

“I sort of fell into theater and was excited that I could have that much fun for a living,” he said.

He left Atlanta to serve as development director for the Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, N.C., and then became managing director of The Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, N.Y. He was also co-founder and managing director of the Icarus Theatre Ensemble in Ithaca. His work with professional theater organizations provided both experience and insight.

“Everybody has to see Shakespeare for the first time,” he said. “It’s like fine wine, food, and taste.

The palette for good theater develops over time.”

As an arts presenter, Grady wants to create a memorable experience for the audience with each performance production.

“You have to be conscious of that. You don’t want people to be afraid of going to the theater.

What to wear? How to act? You want to remove those barriers and create an opportunity for the audience to participate in the experience of seeing the play. I don’t want the public to be intimi-

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www.bulloch.k12.ga.us 912.212.8500 July/August 2017 • 19

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20 • Statesboro Magazine

dated by theater.”

Grady plans to create that welcoming atmosphere. “I envision myself sharing the experience with the audience,” he said. “I always ask myself, ‘how can I make it richer for them?’ so they will want to come back for more. I want them to know they can see an amazing performance, have a wonderful experience, and meet new people at the Averitt Center, you don’t have to go to Savannah or Atlanta.”

He is developing plans for other areas of the arts at the Averitt Center, as well, and has already started a collaboration with the Statesboro Regional Art Association, featuring artists’ paintings for sale in the Rosengart Gallery at 41 West Main Street. He has plans to add a small snack bar for dance and theater students and waiting parents.

Plans are underway for an exciting fall performance season and classes for children and adults in dance, visual arts, and music.

“We will have an Eagle’s tribute band in September. Also, Paul Taylor, a smooth jazz saxophonist who has released 11 albums, will be coming. He has performed at the Lincoln Center in New York. That’s going to be a great and unique experience. I hope to be able to attract more quality performances for our audiences.

People are going to get spoiled.”

Grady is also open to ideas. “This isn’t my theater,” he said. “It’s everybody’s theater.”

And it takes community support to keep it going. “I think there is a perception that the Averitt Center is fully funded by the City, but we receive a percentage of our budget from the City. We have to raise the funds to cover almost 2/3 of our budget and sponsors for our performances are vital. We really need for the community to support us and attend. It is the community’s arts center,” Grady said.

He would like to see the Emma Kelly Theater and the Whitaker Black Box being used more.

“I want to try to make the main stage and the black box more active and to offer a greater variety of performances,” he said, “I would like for the Averitt Center to be seen as a vibrant destination. My sense is that people want to be involved in something more cosmopolitan and I believe we can offer that,” he said. S

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ON VIEW IN THE GALLERIES Georgia Artists Collection 50th Anniversary

Georgia Artists Gallery

BETTY FOY SANDERS GEORGIA ARTISTS COLLECTION

Sept. 25, 2017 – March 9, 2018 Fluid Structures

by Betty Foy Sanders

University Gallery Sept. 25 – Oct. 13 Paintings by Katherine Taylor

Contemporary Gallery Sept. 25 – Oct. 20 Georgia Pottery

Smith Callaway Banks Southern Folk Art Gallery Sept. 25 - Dec. 27

ANNIVERSARY

C E L E B R AT I O N Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 at 5 p.m.

Center for Art & Theatre at Georgia Southern University

GALLERY TALK • HORS D’OEUVRES • LIVE MUSIC To RSVP contact Casey at (912) 478-6667 or cstoddard@georgiasouthern.edu by Sept. 7.

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22 • Statesboro Magazine

A Black Box Theatre performance of Anon(ymous) will begin at 7:30 p.m. For tickets to the performance, contact the Center for Art & Theatre Box Office at (912) 478-6667 or go to GeorgiaSouthern.edu/CAT.

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A Woman of Power

24 • Statesboro Magazine

A Woman of Power

Audrey King A Woman of Power Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune

July/August 2017 • 25

L A Woman of Power

Last October, on only her second day on the job as Georgia Power’s new Area Manager for the Statesboro Region, Audrey King came faceto-face with Hurricane Matthew, immediately facing possible equipment damage and outages in a service area that extends from Swainsboro to St. Mary’s. The leadership skills she acquired during her 26-year career with Georgia Power Company came into play and a systematic plan for recovery was launched. King and her team, worked tirelessly to restore power and to help clean-up in the aftermath of the storm.

“Fortunately, Mayor Jan Moore had heard that I would be replacing Tan Adams as Area Manager, and she reached out to me prior to my coming. We met and she gave me invaluable information on community leader contacts, such as Bulloch County Public Safety Director Ted Wynn, which was very helpful in planning, coordinating and executing the clean-up,” she said.

“I am grateful to Jan for extending her hand as a support system for me.”

That’s a tough initiation for anyone, but King had the advantage of learning the business of the power company from every aspect, having spent her time at Georgia Power attaining all she could while working in various departments within the company. Her career path has formed a firm foundation for her new leadership role in Southeast Georgia.

Her career started in 1991 at the call center in Macon, Georgia, where she joined Georgia

26 • Statesboro Magazine

Power as a Customer Service Representative and later, Supervisor. There she trained new employees on how to best serve customers and also worked in the areas of residential marketing and distribution. She left Macon after nine years to become Sales Team Leader in Valdosta, where she supervised a team of 14 employees.

“We had a sales goal of $9 million which we met. I have to give credit to all the employees. It was a team effort,” King said.

After her time in sales, she transitioned to Assistant to the Vice President. King has worked as a Customer Service Representative & Supervisor, Engineering Support Representative, Sales Team Leader & Sales Manager, External Affairs Manager and Assistant to the Vice President in Macon and Valdosta, Georgia.

King appreciates several mentors who helped her along the way to make the right connections and who were instrumental in her growth and development.

“Jo Wilbanks at Georgia Power was a great mentor to me,” said King. “She encouraged me to go to areas that I wasn’t particularly comfortable with, to go beyond boundaries and to explore opportunities to learn new aspects of the power company, such as engineering and distribution.”

A native of Macon, King graduated at the top of her class at Central High

School and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Troy University. She attended classes offered from the Columbus campus while working and rearing her two children.

“I began college during my adult life because I saw great value and benefit in that,” she said.

King believes that higher education leads to better opportunities and encouraged her children to pursue a college degree. Son Marquette, Jr., (28), and daughter Jasmine, (24), are both college graduates with professional careers. Marquette resides in Los Angeles and Jasmine lives in Atlanta.

As part of her job, King has been willing to transfer to towns in Georgia where her skills have been needed.

As an Area Manager, King now wears many hats at Georgia

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Power, including sometimes a hard one.

“My job encompasses anything tied to the business – external affairs, board service, grass roots, working with The Citizens of Georgia Power group of community volunteers, promoting economic development in my area and at the state level, serving customers, and corporate clients. As one of 33 Area Managers in the state, I lead a team of 44 employees who represent all areas within the company,” said King.

King believes community service is an important aspect of her leadership role. She serves on local boards and is a member of organizations including the Blue Mile Foundation, Statesboro Rotary Club, the Georgia Southern Foundation, the Development Authority of Bulloch County, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. King was recently appointed

by Governor Nathan Deal to serve on the state’s Education Reform Committee, a role in which she is particularly proud to serve because of her commitment to higher education. King is a 2013 graduate of Leadership Lowndes County and a 2014 graduate of Leadership Georgia.

While well prepared to manage her areas of service personally and professionally, one of her greatest challenges is meeting all the needs within the area she serves.

“There are so many needs, you have to be strategic about engaging with everyone. You want to help them all,” she said.

King sites the Bible’s book of Luke 12:48 as an inspirational message that illuminates her path: “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.”

“Over the course of my life so many leaders have supported me when they didn’t have to. I owe that back to help others.

Early in my life I thought I’d never be a leader. Now I know how you can help another person both personally and professionally, and I want to do that if I can,” said King.

King encourages her employees to broaden their levels of expertise, just as she was challenged to do so.

“It is the greatest reward as a leader to see employees reach their potential and go beyond,” she said. “I am committed to their growth and development, especially for what they want the most to accomplish.”

In contrast to the hurricane that greeted King upon her arrival, she describes her transition into the community as “warm, welcoming, and friendly.”

“My transition is what it is because of the people of Statesboro,” she said. “I want to stay here and serve the company and the community in any way I can. I love it here. This is home now.”

King pledges community support from The Citizens of Georgia Power employee volunteer group as well.

“Our volunteer organization serves at Relay for Life, the Food Bank, and United Way. Whoever needs hands on volunteers, and I mean sweat equity, not just a check, call on us.

We support the communities we serve,” said King. “At Georgia Power, we believe in being a good citizen wherever we serve.” S

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July/August 2017 • 29

Managing Just Fine

30 • Statesboro Magazine

Managing Just Fine

Managing Just Fine Randy Wetmore Guides City

A

Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune

At one time, Randy Wetmore and his dad, Al Wetmore, were the only father-son team of city managers in the state of Kansas. Father Al spent 30+ years as city manager for Herrington, Kansas. For the last 11 years he was there, both he and Randy served as civic leaders in the state.

“I followed him into city work,” Wetmore said. “I guess I always admired the role my dad played in the city’s administration.”

Born in Connecticut, but reared in Kansas as the only child of Al and Pat Wetmore, both now deceased, Wetmore holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology & Sociology from Emporia State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas.

When he graduated in 1980, Wetmore took a job as Assistant to the City Manager of Yankton, South Dakota. Since then, he has served cities in Kansas, Oregon and Iowa. The only time he has worked in the South is when he served as Assistant City Administrator, then Deputy City Manager in Franklin, Tennessee.

“We like it here. There’s the weather, and the people are friendlier,” said Wetmore. “We find that people think the place where they live is special. We were attracted to Statesboro because of the amenities not shared by other cities, such as Georgia Southern University. The University adds a flavor not generally found in cities of this size.”

Since arriving last fall, Wetmore has been busy assessing the city’s strengths and weaknesses and working on a Strategic Plan that was started in February of this year.

“We have surveyed the residents of Statesboro to find out what amenities they’d like to see in the city. We have consultants looking at the re-

July/August 2017 • 31

Managing Just Fine

sults who will gather and compile the responses to the surveys,” said Wetmore. “They should be finished by late summer or early fall and they will then be able to give us some good information about what folks want in their city.

“So far, the written surveys that have been turned into City Hall show that adding more parks is a popular request, along with adding more sidewalks to the City’s landscape,” Wetmore said. “Those are early indications of what our residents would like to see the City do. We appreciate all the responses we have received.

It’s great to see people participating in planning for the future of Statesboro.”

Along the way, Wetmore has found that most residents want their cities to be the best they can be. “I have found that every town is different, but they all want to give back and make a difference,” he said.

Wetmore believes Statesboro already has some of the features other cities of this size envy such as a successful Arts Center downtown and events like First Friday. “The arts are important in a general sense. You get a different feel for space and they make you think,” said Wetmore.

“In Des Moines there is a sculpture park that is the size of a city block. Features like that make for a vibrant community that’s attractive to visitors, investors, and residents,” said Wetmore.

Making a difference is the thing that motivates Wetmore to face the challenges of being responsible for 35,000 residents in a town like Statesboro. He keeps on hand a copy of a famous quote entitled “The Man in the Arena” 32 • Statesboro Magazine

from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Citizen in a Republic” speech delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris on April 23, 1910 (sidebar). For Wetmore, it’s about engaging in the work, taking some risks, and moving forward to make a positive difference.

“We all take it for granted, but people work hard to make our town the best it can be,” said Wetmore. “I have found that the employees at the City of Statesboro truly care about making this town the best. They look for ways to make things better. I find it in all departments: Police, Fire, Waste Management, and Water/Sewer.”

Wetmore is also committed to working with the Mayor and City Council on improvements to the Blue Mile. “I can’t wait to see what the Foundation comes up with and how Council wants to see it develop over time,” said Wetmore. “I think with the TAD there will be some assistance, and we hope to form a TAD advisory committee made up of people who can help us figure out good projects.”

Wetmore’s career in public service spans 38 years. This month, he and wife Andrea (Andy), will celebrate 39 years of marriage. They have two children, Stewart and Stacy, who both live in Indiana. Stewart works for Eli Lily and holds both a PharmD and an MBA. Daughter Stacy graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Cognitive Psychology and is currently an instructor at Butler University. The Wetmore’s have two grandchildren, Landon and Ashlyn.

“I think we will retire in Statesboro,” said

Wetmore. “Once you move nine times, it is tough to move again.”

During his spare time, Wetmore likes to read Sapiens Mysteries and books by John Grisham and James Michener.

Two years ago he started doing abstract art as stress reliever.

“I just paint as a way to relax,” said Wetmore.

“I will take a credit card or palette knife and just spread the paint across the canvas. If you look at any given piece, you will likely see layers and layers of paint.”

He describes himself as a “plain eater” who prefers cheeseburgers to foie gras. He walks two to four times a week and likes to play an occasional round of golf.

“I’m not that great at golf,” said Wetmore.

“My handicap is putting the clubs in my hand!”

Wetmore admits to recently not having a lot of time to enjoy a long game of golf. He is busy making plans to move Statesboro to the next level.

“Our greatest challenge is trying to provide a high level of public service and to make sure everyone is on board with our resources to meet all expectations,” he said.

“When you’re a city like Statesboro, the key to success is everyone working together. We aren’t the suburb of a larger city where we can acquire added resources; we stand alone. We don’t have anyone to lean on. We’ve got to make it work and be strong by ourselves,” Wetmore added.

“I think for the most part, Statesboro is a pro-

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D

U

LT

S

Citizenship in a Republic

A

Theodore Roosevelt

S EN TE • S D KI

The Famous Quote: “The Man in the Arena” It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

•

Speech delivered at the Sorbonne Paris, France April 23, 1910

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912-212-2787 | www.averittcenterforthearts.org July/August 2017 • 33

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2017-2018

ANNUAL REPORT

BULLOCH COUNTY SCHOOLS

Preparing Students for Success and Enhancing Community Value

BULLOCH COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS Visit the Board of Education area of our website for a schedule of meeting dates and times, maps of the areas that each Board member represents, and official minutes of meetings. Board meeting packets are available online at www.bullochschools.org/ boardpackets.

WATCH BOARD MEETINGS LIVE OR LATER

Board meetings can be watched live or later. They are live streamed online at www.bullochschools.org/ boardlive, and the unedited videos are uploaded and archived to the same website immediately following each meeting.

Bulloch County Board of Education 2017-18 – Pictured Standing (L-R): Maurice Hill, Jimmy “Jay” Cook, Mike Sparks, Steve Hein, and Dr. Stuart Tedders. Seated (L-R): Glennera Martin, Cheri Wagner, and Heather Mims.

District 1 CHERI WAGNER, CHAIRWOMAN Term: 1/1/2013 – 12/31/2020 clwag68@yahoo.com

District 2 MIKE SPARKS, 912.842.2460 (H) Term: 1/1/2011 – 12/31/2018 msparks@bullochschools.org

District 3 DR. STUART H. TEDDERS 912.478.1922 (W) Term: 1/1/2017 – 12/31/2020 stedders@bullochschools.org

District 4 STEVE HEIN 912.536-5807 Term: 1/1/2011 – 12/31/2018 shein@georgiasouthern.edu

District 5 GLENNERA MARTIN 912-764-3291 (H) Term: 1/1/2015 – 12/31/2018 gmartinsugarhill@yahoo.com

District 6 JIMMY “JAY” COOK, VICE CHAIRMAN 912-489-3137 (H) Term: 1/1/2015 – 12/31/2018 jlcook64@gmail.com

District 7 HEATHER MIMS 912.541.3514(H) Term: 1/1/2017 – 12/31/2020 hdmims@bullochschools.org

District 8 MAURICE HILL, 912.764.7134(W&H) Term: 1/1/2005 – 12/31/2020 hillmaurice@yahoo.com

WWW.BULLOCHSCHOOLS.ORG/BOARD

OPEN RECORDS REQUESTS The public may direct all Open Records Requests to Mary Henley at recordscustodian@bullochschools.org

BOARD LEGAL COUNSEL Edenfield, Cox, Bruce & Classens 115 Savannah Avenue Statesboro, GA 30458 912.764.8600 | www.edenfieldlaw.com

College & Career Readiness

Resource Optimization

Student Success & Community Value

SCHOOL SYSTEM BRIEF Student Enrollment Graduation Rate (4 yr.Cohort) Per Pupil Expenditures

2015 10,192 75.1% $7,651.70

2016 10,370 84.48% $8,383.34

2017 10,533 84.90% Pending

Community Support

Family Support

SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE ENSURING SUCCESS FOR STUDENTS

I am privileged to begin my sixth year as superintendent of schools for Bulloch County. During this time, I am proud of how our community, Board of Education, and employees worked together to give our school system a strategic plan of action. This plan is the impetus behind what we do every day at every level to prepare students for success and enhance the value of our community.

We continue to better engage and collaborate for major initiatives like facilities planning, review of student assessments, minority recruitment, and the potential use of education special purpose local option sales tax (ESPLOST) for capital improvements for our schools.

ESTABLISHING A PERFORMANCE CULTURE

I believe we have built a solid foundation for future innovation. In March 2017, we received strong affirmation of our progress from AdvancED, during our five-year international reaccreditation process. “You are on the brink of doing incredible things,” John Sedey said.

John was the lead evaluator for the six-member external review team who visited the district March 5-9. He expressed to us, “You have the right people and pieces in place.”

What we received from the accreditation report is a testimony to what Bulloch County Schools has become since 2012. We are on a continuous improvement journey toward excellence to give our community and its children what they need and deserve. We are transforming, and I thank everyone, who has reached out and come along side of us.

We operate under a strategic plan developed by engaged stakeholders from throughout our community. Our faculty and staff, with an understanding of our vision, mission and beliefs, actively work to achieve the goals and initiatives outlined in the plan.

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS CHARLES G. WILSON, JR. CPA, MBA cwilson@bullochschools.org Administrative Assistant: MARY HENLEY mhenley@bullochschools.org 912.212.8500

ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY

We are focused on improving how we engage the community for input and guidance about key initiatives. Our community committees for facility improvement, minority recruitment, and the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST IV) and our annual Speak Up for Education events are examples of our improvement in this area.

GROWING LEADERS AND ESTABLISHING AUTONOMY

In the past we operated through a top-down decision making process with isolated individual practices at each of our 15 schools.

Now, we build leadership capacity from within our employee base, better collaborate as a learning community with structured district expectations, and empower school administrators and teacher leaders with professional autonomy.

Our new performance culture embraces excellence, trust, transparency and accountability. As a result, we see results in behavioral changes and instructional practices throughout the school system. We believe this change in our culture is the foundation for success going forward.

Our participation in the Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement’s training and the development of our own Aspiring Leaders and New Teacher Induction & Mentoring programs are examples of how we are growing leaders. Our employees are better equipped to create performance cultures within our schools. These skills will better enable them to take community input and annually formulate strategic school improvement goals.

GIVING EDUCATORS THE TOOLS THEY NEED Finally, we continue to invest in the best tools for data analysis and instructional technology. Data analysis tools help our leaders to make data-driven decisions for areas of improvement and help our teachers adjust instruction to better meet students’ needs.

Thank you to everyone who supports public education in Bulloch County.

COMBINED BUDGET: ALL FUNDS

(General, Special Revenue, School Nutrition, Capital Project, Debt Service) Total Revenues Total Expenditures

Fiscal Year 2016 $105.9 million $110.3 million

Fiscal Year 2017 (Budgeted) $107.8 million $114.2 million

Fiscal Year 2018 (Projected) $114.5 million $117.2 million

COLLEGE & CAREER READY “Our focus is continuous improvement. Our principals and teachers are using key strategies for student learning and collaborative, empowered, and innovative teaching practices. We believe this will result in growth for all students.”

Superintendent Charles G. Wilson

COLLEGE Bulloch County is home to three postsecondary institutions: Georgia Southern University, East Georgia College, and Ogeechee Technical College. Through our partnerships with these institutions, each offers Move on When Ready dual enrollment, on-site instruction of some college classes at our high schools, academic research, and continuing education opportunities for our students. The district also offers Advanced Placement courses and qualifying AP exams for rigorous college-prep instruction with possible college credit.

CAREER PATHWAYS Bulloch County Schools’ Career Technical & Agricultural Education (CTAE) program offers 30 different career pathways in 13 of Georgia’s Career Clusters. We partner with local business and industry, post-secondary institutions, and the Georgia Department of Labor to ensure relevant instruction. We also review information from our Pathways to Prosperity Asset Mapping initiative, the Governor’s High Demand Career Initiative and student surveys to determine workforce needs. Students gain technical skills and connect the relevance of their academic skills imbedded in their CTAE coursework through real-world scenarios, lab settings and national co-curricular student organizations.

CREDIT RECOVERY & ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION Bulloch County Schools offers a performance learning program at each high school and a Transitions Learning Center for students in grades 6-12. These programs address the credit recovery and general education needs of students who need additional assistance to be successful.

School administrators refer students to these alternative education settings to help keep them on a path to graduation.

Our schools provide all students with relevant, real-world learning experiences to prepare them for post-secondary opportunities. The district provides age-appropriate K-12 career guidance instruction, experiences and career planning for all students.

REACH GEORGIA MAKES COLLEGE POSSIBLE

CLASS OF 2018 FEATURES FIRST COHORT OF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS REACH Georgia is a needs-based mentoring and scholarship program designed to ensure that academically promising students have the mentoring and financial support needed to graduate from high school and complete college. Bulloch County Schools was one of Georgia’s five pilot districts for the program which began in 2013. The school system has named 20 scholars since then. Each has $20,000 earmarked for their post-secondary education. The Georgia Student Finance Corporation holds the scholarships until they graduate from high school.

Our first cohort of five scholars graduates in May 2018. Over the last five years each has maintained the program’s strict attendance, discipline, and academic performance requirements. Selected in May of their seventh-grade year they are pictured (L-R): De’Neshia Jones, Amonica Kirkland, Kailana Low, Aisley Scarboro, and Amaya Brown.

COLLEGE & CAREER READY STATESBORO’S AGGARWAL NAMED DISTRICT & REGION 8 STAR STUDENT Statesboro High School Senior Neha Aggarwal was named Bulloch County’s STAR Student from the county’s five public and private high schools. She also tied for top honors at the Region 8 STAR competition and advanced to state.

Aggarwal will be a pre-medical student at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill this fall. UNC, one of the top five public research universities in the United States, selected her as one of its Colonel Robinson Scholars, an honor that comes with a full scholarship and both research and global studies opportunities. She plans to major in biology and chemistry with a minor in neuroscience and global studies.

“Neha is one of those people you meet whom you know will contribute greatly to this world,” said Dr. R. Jannet Kocerha, Aggarwal’s chemistry professor at Georgia Southern University. As a dual-enrolled Move on When Ready student, Aggarwal was an undergraduate research assistant for Kocerha. She was part of an ongoing bio-chemistry research study on anti-cancer drugs. “She has generated key results researching anti-cancer therapeutics,” said Dr. Kocerha. Neha’s exceptional scholastic abilities in her college chemistry and research courses led Dr. Kocerha and her faculty peers to select Neha, a high school student, for one of their top department honors, the General Chemistry Achievement Award.

“She is a multi-talented student who excels at everything she does and will undoubtedly be a future leader in the medical field.”

PORTAL SEEKS TO ADD AGRICULTURE MECHANICS PROGRAM

SEBHS CULINARY ARTS TEAM WINS $60K IN SCHOLARSHIPS

STUDENTS WIN GA PROSTART CULINARY COMPETITION; ADVANCE TO NATIONALS

Culinary Arts students at Southeast Bulloch High School won first place at the Hospitality Education Foundation of Georgia’s ProStart Culinary Competition at the Art Institute of Atlanta (AIA), on March 3.

2017. The five-member team advanced to Charleston, S.C., for the National ProStart Invitational at the Charleston Area Convention Center, April 28 – May 1. In addition to their state championship trophy, these top high school cooks received a total of $60,000 ($12,000 each) in scholarships to further their culinary arts careers at AIA. The National ProStart Invitational is considered to be one of the country’s premiere competitions for high school students who are studying culinary arts and restaurant management.

SCHOOL APPLIES FOR $108,000 CTAE CONSTRUCTION-RELATED EQUIPMENT GRANT Portal Middle High School’s Career Technical & Agricultural Education (CTAE) program is taking steps to expand its Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career Cluster by adding an Agricultural Mechanics Systems Pathway. The school has applied for a $108,000 CTAE Construction-Related Equipment Grant.

If approved, the grant will provide funding for equipment. The Bulloch County Board of Education has approved for the school’s current agriculture lab to be renovated in the summer of 2018 to bring it up to industry standards for an Agriculture Mechanics program. The school currently has three pathways within its F&NR Cluster: Plant & Landscape Systems , Horticulture & Forest Science, and Plant & Floral Design Systems.

COLLEGE & CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Portal Middle High School’s FFA Chapter won second place in the 2017 State FFA Nursery/ Landscape Career Development Event. The team advanced after winning the Area IV event.

Southeast Bulloch’s and Statesboro’s JROTC Drill Teams captured 18 top-five finishes and five state championship titles during the 2017 GA State JROTC Drill Championships.

Statesboro High received a Gold Chapter of Distinction award and won four state championships, one silver medal, and one bronze medal at the 2017 SkillsUSA Georgia State Leadership and Skills Championships.

Eighth-grade students districtwide participated in two career-building events: Job Shadow Day and Future Manufacturers Day. They learned about the variety of skills needed by local industry. The district’s CTAE program, industry managers, and the Development Authority of Bulloch County organized the events.

Statesboro High’s SECME program was selected as a finalist for the 2016 Georgia STEM Education Awards by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and the TAG Education Collaborative. The annual statewide awards comprise eight different categories, and SHS was a finalist in the Extracurricular Category.

FAMILY & COMMUNITY SUPPORT No matter how little or how much time you have, there are many ways you can positively impact a child’s education at school, in the community, and at home. When parents and the community get involved and stay involved, all children achieve at higher levels.

PARENT PARTNERSHIPS

Parents, guardians and family members play a major role in public education.

Their connection to a child’s education is important to the overall success of the child and the school. From classroom events, PTOs, school events, school councils, advisory committees, mentors, and Board of Education committees, more than 300 family members of our students have actively volunteered in the school system this year.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

The development of ongoing community partnerships is critical to our school system’s mission. Community partners are key to helping us provide academic, career, health, recreation, safety, financial, social and fine arts services to children and families.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

It is our goal to increase access to school system information for parents and the community through various social media platforms, electronic communications, Internet applications and websites. It is our goal to be open and transparent, and to deliver information and respond to requests in a timely, accurate and informative way.

Bulloch County Schools employs a team of parent & family engagement liaisons to help families bridge the gap between home and school, provide educational resources, and help plan parent and family engagement events.

Visit www.bullochschools.org/familyengagement for more information.

READING CARNIVAL Bulloch County Schools annually hosts a community-wide Reading Carnival.

Begun in May 2016, the event is organized and sponsored by a variety of local groups, including the school system, who value literacy, and who collaborate to encourage families and children to read, especially during the summer.

The free event features carnival-themed book stations, fun activities, games, inflatables, rides, music, food, book giveaways and more. The activities are designed to creatively get children, youth and young adults hooked on reading.

The Reading Fair features interactive reading stations staffed by school volunteers and local businesses. Each station is designed to engage children and pique their interest about a specific book, author, character, or book series.

For more information or to volunteer for our May 2018 event, contact Lawanda Allen at ldallen@bullochschools.org.

FAMILY & COMMUNITY SUPPORT POVERTY SIMULATION According to the University of Georgia’s Initiative on Poverty and the Economy, 32 percent of all children ages 1-18 in Bulloch County live in poverty. For children this can cause emotional and social challenges, health and safety issues, and cognitive lags in learning. Our school system also serves nearly 100 children whose families are homeless. To better serve our children and understand the challenges and barriers poverty causes for learning, Bulloch County Schools and the First District Regional Education Services Agency (RESA) partnered to host a poverty simulation for Board of Education members, central office administrators, principals and teacher leaders from Bulloch, Effingham and Candler counties.

The simulation exercises divided participants into six different family units with each participant playing the role of a parent or child. Each family had a different situation scenario and crisis events centered around real-life experiences of those in poverty. Community volunteers from the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Department and other service agencies staffed agency booths with whom families interacted based on their scenarios. After the hour-long simulation meant to depict one-month in the life of a family in poverty, the family groups shared how the experiences made them feel, how people responded to their needs, how their attitudes changed, what insights they gained about lower-income families, and what barriers we may have to learning.

CONNECT TO SCHOOLS WITH ONLINE TOOLS Bulloch County Schools provides multiple online tools for news and information (district and school websites, live stream video, social media). We offer multiple online tools to give parents 24-hour customer service access to information about their child’s grades, absences, assignments and lunch balances.

Our school system has children and families who represent 17 different nationalities and 18 different languages. As a result, we also offer translation services on our websites via Google Translate, and we offer immediate translation services for more than 240 languages for face-to-face and telephone conversations with families using Language Line Solutions.

PARENT RESOURCE CENTERS

Each of our elementary and middle schools is equipped with a parent resource center that is open during the school day. A parent & family engagement coordinator or other school staff member can assist you. The centers offer the following materials: educational manipulatives, educational games, flash cards, workbooks, books to assist your child in reading, math and other content areas, parenting books, and more. You may also visit the Georgia Parent Information and Resource Center on the Web at www.georgiapirc. net or Bulloch County Schools’ Family Engagement Page at www.bullochschools.org/ familyengagement

FAMILY & COMMUNITY SUPPORT HIGHLIGHTS Parent & Family Events – Our elementary and middle schools connect with families by hosting themed events like Math & Science Night, STEM Night, Literacy and Language Arts Night, Fine Arts Night, Fall Festivals and Spring Flings.

Spring Into Reading – To promote reading and literacy, our southeast district schools (SEBMS, BES, NES & SES) partnered to host Spring Into Reading. They used two school buses to create bookmobiles stocked with free books for children. Over a three-day period they visited neighborhoods and encouraged families to select a book they could enjoy reading together.

Stakeholder input – We encourage families and the community to have a voice in local public education via our annual Speak Up for Education events, access to multiple online and paper surveys, school councils, district advisory committees, public participation at Board of Education meetings, and by serving on BOE committees for special initiatives like facilities, minority recruitment and ESPLOST.

One of our school system’s most successful community partnerships is with the Statesboro Bulloch County Parks & Recreation Department for afterschool programs at each of our nine elementary schools, summer camps, and shared use of SBCP&RD and school system athletic facilities for recreation and school sports.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Bulloch County Schools’ Strategic Plan Dashboard Preparing students for success and enhancing community value By 2020, we will become a school system that prepares our students to be contributing members of society, based upon their interests and abilities, and the opportunity to pursue the colleges and careers of their choice.

84.9 %

Bulloch County Schools’ fouryear cohort graduation rate.

18.7%

Increase in graduation rate since 2011 (15.87 percentage points)

Class of 2011 69.03% Class of 2016 84.9 %

Sources: Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, College Board, Bulloch County Schools

66%

100 %

For the ACT & SAT, the district’s fiveyear trend data across all tested subjects shows an overall increase in scores for each high school and the system.

ACT 2012 18.4; 2016= 20.2 District composite is now within 0.4 pts. of state composite SAT 2012 = 1404 2016 = 1436 Students have raised scores in each of the three tested areas – reading, math, and writing - from 3 to 18 points.

ACT

From 6 to 12

Percent of Class of 2016 graduates who enrolled in a post-secondary institution after graduation (Technical College or 4-Year College or University).

Percentage Points

67%

Percent of Class of 2016 graduates who were considered college-ready, and who did not require remediation courses at post-secondary institutions.

639 617

Number of 2016 Graduates

Number of 2017 Graduates

500+ The number of our students age 16 -18, who dual enroll at a post-secondary institution during high school.

ACHIEVEMENT

The Class of 2016 significantly outperformed the state in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the ACT’s college readiness benchmark scores in each of the four tested subjects.

SAT

From 6 to 20 Points

From 2012-2016, the district’s mean reading, math and writing scores have each increased.

Advanced Placement

8

Number of colleges and universities in which our students are dual enrolled.

100 51.8 %

Number of Advanced Placement Exams taken by high school students.

Percent of students who scored a 3 or higher to receive post-secondary credit for the high school’s Advanced Placement course.

PEOPLE

ENVIRONMENT

RESOURCES

100 %

32%

$138+ million

Number of teachers who are certified and professionally qualified to teach in their assigned subject area.

1,284 750

Percent of children ages 1-18 in Bulloch County who are living in poverty.

Number of Employees

Number of Classroom Teachers

39

Graduates of the district’s Aspiring Leaders program.

Begun in 2014, it builds local leadership capacity amongst our assistant principals and teachers for possible future administrative roles with the school system.

6

Number of Aspiring Leaders alumni to date who have been promoted to administrative positions.

3

Number of Bulloch County Schools’ teachers who have been selected as a Georgia Teacher of the Year Top-Ten Finalist since 2010.

2

Number of teachers from Bulloch County Schools who have been selected as a Georgia Teacher of the Year

10,550 PK-12 Enrollment as of March 2017

17

Number of schools and alternative learning centers that serve children enrolled in Bulloch County Schools: 9 Elementary; 3 Middle; 2 High; 1 Middle/High; and 2 Alternative

13 1.7 million Number of Title 1 Schools

Amount of internal and external square feet of school facilities at our 15 main campuses

62% 5,444

Percentage of students who receive free or reduced-price meals.

Number of students who receive free lunches.

725 17,107

Number of students Number of summer who receive breakfasts and reduced-priced lunches served in lunches 2016..

ENGAGEMENT

160+

Hours of parent engagement events in our schools

in ESPLOST Projects

Amount of Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) funds used to build six new schools, renovate or expand five schools, build three athletic complexes and make technology, transportation and maintenance upgrades for facilities districtwide.

AA-

Standard & Poor (S&P) Bond Rating

In the last 10 years, S&P, the nation’s scond leading bond rating firm, has raised its school issued credit rating on Bulloch County School’s general obligation bonds three times.

4

300

Number of regular, active parents and community members who volunteered with our school councils, PTOs, and advisory committees in 2016-17.

15,300+

Followers across our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

Star Rating

For the past two years the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement has awarded the district a Four-Star rating out of a possible five stars for its financial efficiency. The FESR provides a comparison of district spending per student with overall academic performance.

$59,000+ Amount of produce, dairy, meat and grains purchased from local and area farmers for our school nutrition program.

3.96 million

Views to our district and school websites in 2016-17

RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION “As a Strategic Waivers School System, we are empowering our principals and teachers to decide what is best for students, and by removing education barriers of the past, we can engage our community in innovative ways.”

Superintendent Charles G. Wilson

SCHOOL FUNDING

SCHOOL FACILITIES

For 2015 and 2016, Bulloch County Schools received a Four-Star Rating (on a five-point scale) from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement for the district’s per-pupil spending in relation to the academic achievements of its students. The school system also received the Award of Distinction for Excellent Financial Reporting from the Georgia Department of Audits & Accounts for the district’s Fiscal Year 2015 and 2016 audits.

Bulloch County Schools has determined appropriate funding levels for its 15 schools and alternative learning center. Furthermore, the system invests in locally determined values like counseling services, fine arts, physical education and increased funding for schools with higher rates of children in poverty. The Board of Education has approved a resource allocation model for our schools that empowers principals and their teacher leaders to make more innovative and flexible decisions to meet student needs.

Bulloch County has successfully passed three Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) referendums since 2003. As a result, more than $138 million has been invested in the construction and renovation of new and existing schools and athletic facilities, technology, and buses. Citizens will vote on a fourth ESPLOST referendum on November 7, 2017. If it passes, ESPLOST IV is expected to generate approximately $55 $60 million from January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2023. To guide the use of $2.5 million in remaining ESPLOST III revenue and to plan for future capital project needs, the Board of Education formed two committees.

The first, formed in 2014, is a 36-member Facilities Committee made up of parent, community and faculty representatives from each school zone. The second, formed in 2016, is a 20-member ESPLOST Committee consisting of four BOE members and 16 parent and community members. These committees have prioritized facilities, equipment, technology and learning space needs based on presentations from each school’s principal with input from their faculty leadership teams and school councils.

DIVERSITY OF CERTIFIED FACULTY AT BULLOCH COUNTY SCHOOLS SY ’14

DIVERSITY OF CERTIFIED PRINCIPALS AT BULLOCH COUNTY SCHOOLS

SY ’17

SY ’14

13%*

15%*

13%*

87% White

85% White

87% White

*Black/Other Races

SY ’17

27%* 73% White

SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM

Bulloch County Schools provides a 12-month nutrition program for children during the school year and summer. It serves free breakfasts for all students and has developed innovative new freshfruit smoothies and grab-and-go options for older students to help ensure more students begin the learning day with a nutritious meal. With the infusion of more fresh produce, we have expanded our lunches to include a daily salad bar option. The school system makes a concerted effort to use local and regional farmers to provide fresh produce, grains, fruits and dairy products for use in our cafeterias. This supports our area’s agriculture industry and encourages more healthy eating habits for students.

The district’s School Food Services Department also supports the efforts of our Career Technical & Agricultural Education Program’s Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources Career courses by utilizing the fresh produce grown by students in their container garden and hydroponics projects.

MINORITY RECRUITMENT Bulloch County Schools’ Strategic Plan includes an objective to develop and implement a plan to attract, retain and promote effective employees. The Board of Education formed a Diversity Committee in 2015 to implement a recruitment plan. While the school system is nondiscriminatory in its hiring practices and strives to hire the most qualified applicants, the committee’s work has begun a community discussion on how to attract more minority applicants and raise the minority faculty population. Follow the discussion at www.bullochschools.org/keyissues

RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION SCHOOL SYSTEM RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION AdvancED team praises leadership capacity, strategic planning, & community outreach

Bulloch County Schools received international re-accreditation from AdvancED for another five-year term. “You are on the brink of doing incredible things,” said John Sedey of St. Paul, Minnesota, the lead evaluator for the six-member external review team who visited the district in March 5-9, 2017. “You have the right people and pieces in place.”

“What we received from the accreditation report is a testimony to what Bulloch County Schools has become,” said Superintendent Charles Wilson. “This is a continuous improvement journey toward excellence to give our students what they need and deserve.”

Sedey and his team evaluated the school system based on a set of five standards and two diagnostics. The district’s overall rating of 280.9, is higher than AdvancED’s network average of 278.03 for other accredited systems worldwide. Bulloch County Schools’ leadership capacity (319.44) and resource utilization (302.08) scores far exceeded AdvancED’s respective network averages of 292.76 and 284.48. The district’s teaching and learning impact score of 250.79 is lower than the network’s average of 267.91.

Sedey pointed out that teaching and learning is an area where the team felt actions were in place and the district was poised to make improvements happen, particularly with its work in creating a guaranteed and viable curriculum across all schools.

The AdvancED Team highlighted three areas as powerful practices and three priority improvements for Bulloch County Schools:

POWERFUL PRACTICES

• Engages in a comprehensive and inclusive strategic planning and resource management process.

• Engages families and community in a variety of ways to provide multiple opportunities for input, information, and participation as partners in the education of their children.

• Implemented an exemplary culture of collaboration through professional learning communities that is consistent with the district’s purpose and direction.

PRIORITY IMPROVEMENTS

• Implement a comprehensive, vertically aligned, and monitored curriculum that ensures equitable and challenging learning experiences for all students and prepares them for success at the next level.

• Expand the induction and mentoring program to ensure that teachers and leaders have comprehensive support to implement the system’s instructional process.

• Implement a coordinated system to ensure that all professional and instructional support staff are trained in the interpretation and use of data to impact instruction.

AdvancED, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization, is recognized as a global leader in providing continuous improvement and accreditation services. The accreditation process adds another level of accountability to the school system. In Georgia, school systems must maintain accreditation in order for their students to be eligible to receive HOPE scholarships.

RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION HIGHLIGHTS For Fiscal Year 2018 (17-18 school year), Bulloch County Schools instituted a state-funded teacher raise of three percent, and a locally funded twopercent raise for all employees.

Sallie Zetterower Elementary School received more than $16,800 in grants for its STEM Lab in 2017, thanks to the grant writing efforts of Ansley Mays, the school’s teacher of the year.

Of the grants, two were grants totaling $13,000 from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement’s Innovation Fund.

Local farmers are the key to Bulloch County Schools receiving a $25,000 grant from America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education (AFGRE), a program sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The grant provided enhanced math and science learning resources for the school system’s elementary students for the district’s nine new STEM Labs.

The Board of Education’s Facilities Committee has identified 37 school capital projects and divided them into three prioritized tiers.

Leveraging $2.5 million in remaining ESPLOST III funds and combining them with state funds and in-kind services from other government entities, Bulloch County Schools has completed seven of Tier One’s 12 projects. Learn more at www. bullochschools.org/ESPLOST.

FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY & TRANSPARENCY GENERAL FUND HIGHLIGHTS ($ MILLIONS) FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY AND EFFICIENCY

Revenues over/(under) Expenditures

Employee Positions Attritioned

Fiscal year

QBE Revenues

Property Tax Revenues

Local Option Sales Tax Revenues

Total Revenues

Total Expenditures

FY ‘08

$44.2

$15.4

$10.8

$73.5

$73.0

$.6

$11.9

-

-

FY ‘09

$43.3

$16.3

$10.2

$71.3

$71.3

$(0.1)

$11.8

-

-

FY ‘10

$37.9

$16.4

$9.7

$70.1

$68.6

$1.6

$13.4

6 ($1,350,000)

21

FY ‘11

$41.4

$17.3

$10.0

$72.8

$66.3

$6.5

$19.8

3 ($675,000)

38

FY ‘12

$40.2

$17.1

$10.4

$69.1

$68.9

$.2

$20.1

2 ($461,600)

26.5

FY ‘13

$39.5

$16.6

$9.6

$68.8

$69.0

$.2

$19.9

5 ($1,169,200)

11.5

FY ‘14

$38.4

$16.5

$9.9

$68.5

$70.7

$(2.2)

$17.7

2 ($470,000)

-

FY ‘15

$44.0

$17.2

$10.2

$74.5

$74.6

$(.1)

$17.6

0

0

FY ‘16

$49.8

$18.9

$10.6

$92.9

$97.3

$(6.8)

$18.1

0

0

$70.8

$70.8

$17.5

0

0

$88.4

$90.4

$11.3

0

0

$4,125,800

97

FY ‘17

(Budget in progress year-to-date)

FY ‘18

(Projected)

$50.8 $56.9

$27.3 $19.6

$10.8

TOTAL

($15,913) in thousands

($2.0)

Ending Fund Balance

Furlough Days (salary reduction)

*For complete budget information on all Bulloch County Board of Education funds, capital projects, ESPLOST and state audit reports, visit www.bullochschools.org/budget

FISCAL YEAR 2018 COMBINED ALL FUND APPROPRIATIONS

Total General Fund Expenditures - $ 86,320,038 General Improvement of Instructional Services Administration $633,844 Food Services $1,939,576 Business Operation Administration $5,359,363 $814,731 Student School Transportation Administration Services $6,337,162 $6,218,234 Maintenance & Operations Capital $8,040,502 Outlay $1,538,711

Pupil Services $4,223,037

Instruction $68,184,168

Debt Services Principal $10,400,000

Educational Media Services $1,350,488 Central Support Services $1,311,156 Debt Services Interest $724,600 Other Support Services $168,447

“We have spent the last five years putting systemic changes in place to build a performance culture. We have a community-crafted strategic plan in place, professional learning communities for faculty collaboration, professional development in place to build leadership capacity and our quarterly impact checks and the state’s Teacher and Leader Keys Effectiveness System for assessing progress.”

Superintendent Charles G. Wilson

BULLOCH COUNTY SCHOOLS REPORT CARD COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS PERFORMANCE INDEX (CCRPI)

The College & Career Ready Performance Index is Georgia’s comprehensive school accountability measurement tool. In our state, it replaced the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2012.

The overall CCRPI score is based on a 100-point scale. It measures schools’ and their school systems’ performance in four areas: (1) Achievement (50 Pts.): Content Mastery 20 pts.; Post-secondary readiness 15 pts.; Graduation rate 15 pts.; (2) Progress (40 Pts.); Achievement Gap (10 pts.); (3) Challenge Points (bonus of up to 10 pts.)

CCRPI scores are the basis for accountability in Bulloch County Schools’ five-year Strategic Waivers School System (SWSS) contract with the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. The district’s 2015-16 (FY ’16) CCRPI scores are the baseline performance data year for the contract. From the baseline year (2016) through 2021, the district’s 15 schools must show at least a three percent improvement each year on the gap between the 2016 score and a perfect score of 100.

ELEMENTARY

Achievement Points 2016

Progress Points 2016

Achievement Gap Points 2016

Possible Pts.

50

40

10

Challenge Points 2016

FY 2016 CCRPI Total Score

Up to 10 Total

100

Performance Flags

Exceed.

Bar

Georgia

30.00

33.80

6.7

1.2

0

71.7

Bulloch

29.30

32.40

5.8

2.3

0

69.8

CLIMATE STAR RATINGS 2016-17 (out of 5 stars) School climate refers to the quality and character of school life – its culture. Positive school climates foster successful youth development and learning. These scores are based on faculty, staff, student and parent climate surveys conducted annually by the Georgia Department of Education FY ‘16 FY ‘17

BES

35.00

35.80

6.7

3.1

1.0

80.6

JPB

29.50

37.30

6.7

2.7

1.0

76.2

LCES

22.20

31.60

4.2

3.0

1.0

61.0

BES

4

3

MLES

26.40

31.00

4.2

1.0

1.0

62.6

JPBES

4

4

MCES

28.70

32.60

5.8

1.0

1.0

68.1

LCES

3

3

NES

32.70

33.40

6.7

3.9

1.0

76.7

LCMS

3

3

PES

29.00

24.30

3.3

4.6

0

61.2

MLES

4

3

SZES

27.70

29.50

5.0

0

1.0

62.2

MCES

4

3

67.6

NES

4

4

PES

3

3

PMHS

3

3

SZES

3

3

SEBMS

3

3

SEBHS

3

3

SES

27.80

32.30

6.7

0.8

1.0

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Achievement Points 2016

Progress Points 2016

Achievement Gap Points 2016

Challenge Points 2016

FY 2016 CCRPI Total Score

Possible Pts.

50

40

10

Up to 10 Total

100

Performance Flags

Exceed.

Bar

Georgia

30.2

34.6

6.7

0.0

0.0

71.5

Bulloch

27.5

35.5

6.7

0.0

0.0

69.7

LCMS

24.0

34.70

5.80

0.0

0.0

64.5

PMS

29.50

38.60

7.50

1.7

1.0

77.3

SEBMS

33.30

39.20

6.70

2.7

0

81.9

WJMS

26.10

31.1

5.80

0

0.5

63.0

HIGH SCHOOL

Achievement Points 2016

Progress Points 2016

Achievement Gap Points 2016

Possible Pts.

50

40

10

Challenge Points 2016

FY 2016 CCRPI Total Score

Up to 10 Total

100

Performance Flags

Exceed.

Bar

Georgia

34

34.3

6.7

0.7

0

75.7

Bulloch

34.6

34.2

4.2

0.9

0.0

73.9

SHS

3

3

SES

3

3

WJMS

3

3

FINANCIAL EFFICIENCY RATING 2016-17 (out of 5 stars)

Begun in 2015, the Financial Efficiency Star Rating is a measure of a school district’s per-pupil spending in relation to the academic achievements of its students. Specifically, the rating is based on a three-year average of per-pupil spending, which is then associated with the district’s CCRPI scores. Districts are rated on a scale ranging from .05 to 5 stars. A fivestar district is one which has strong academic outcomes and lower levels of expenditures in comparison with other districts.

PHS

32.70

34.2

5.0

4.9

0.5

76.8

SEBHS

36.50

35.1

5.80

2.0

0.0

79.4

FY ‘16

4

SHS

33.80

33.60

4.20

0.0

0.0

71.6

FY ‘17

4

PERFORMANCE CULTURE

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING Bulloch County Schools’ employees participate in a continuous program of professional learning. The Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement trains our school administrators and teacher leaders in school improvement. This equips them to create performance cultures within our schools and use community input to formulate strategic goals. Our Aspiring Leaders program prepares assistant principals and teachers for future leadership roles. Our induction program for new and first-year teachers pairs each participant with a mentor and provides sessions about the Teacher Keys Effectiveness System, technology, and behavior management strategies.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT Bulloch County Schools has implemented a continuous improvement process with performance goals that align with the Strategic Plan and progress monitoring based on a plan-do-check-act cycle.

Our schools create School Improvement Plans (SIP) which are monitored through quarterly impact checks with district leaders. Each school has a systematic, inclusive, and comprehensive process for review, revision, and communication of a purpose for student success.

TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT Bulloch County Schools provides faculty and students with modern classrooms and technology to support learning. Sound fiscal management allows us to invest in the best tools for data analysis and instructional technology. This helps our administrators and faculty make data-driven decisions for school improvement and helps teachers adjust instruction to meet students’ needs.

Instructional technology tools like Google Apps for Education, Illuminate, Tableau, and iReady help us work more efficiently.

THREE SCHOOLS RECEIVE STATE RECOGNITION FOR PERFORMANCE

BROOKLET & NEVILS ARE REWARD SCHOOLS JULIA P. BRYANT ELEMENTARY RECEIVES BRONZE AWARD FOR PROGRESS Brooklet Elementary and Nevils Elementary achieved Title I Reward School status for 2016-17.

The Georgia Department of Education awards the designation to schools with the highest absolute performance over three years for the All Students group on statewide assessments.

Reward Schools are Title I schools that fall into one of two categories: Highest Performing or Highest Progress. This is the fifth year in a row that Brooklet Elementary has been named a HighestPerforming School. BES is in the top five percent of Title I schools in the state. Nevils Elementary is a High-Progress School. The school is among the 10 percent of the state’s Title I schools making the most progress in improving the performance of the All Students group over three years on the statewide assessments.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) awarded Julia P. Bryant Elementary a Bronze Award in the Greatest Gains category for exhibiting high growth in student achievement as part of GOSA’s Single Statewide Accountability System. The recognition means that JPBES’s academic growth over the last three years has been in the top seven percent of schools in the state. JPBES was one of only 127 Greatest Gains schools in the state, and one of only 27 schools to receive a Bronze Award.

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES No one understands our challenges better than our teachers, so establishing a collaborative, continuous-improvement culture gives us the structure and flexibility to empower teachers to help our students discover success at every level. Faculty collaborate weekly in professional learning communities (PLCs). PLCs give teachers the autonomy to create more equitable learning experiences.

Using district technology tools and data, faculty teams discuss academic standards, share best practices, plan instruction and analyze student performance data. PLCs help teachers provide students an additional layer of support by allowing faculty time to work together to plan differentiation, remediation, or enrichment based on individual student needs. PLCs are a key piece of our framework for implementing a guaranteed and viable curriculum (GVC) across the district.

PERFORMANCE CULTURE 2015 TRANSPORTATION HONORS Director’s Cup Bus Monitors of the Year Service Technician of the Year Team Brooklet Team Julia P. Bryant Team Langston Chapel Team Mattie Lively Team Mill Creek Team Nevils Team Portal Team Sallie Zetterower Team Stilson Team Special Education 20 + Years of Service Recognitions 40 + Years of Service Recognitions

Faith Mobley Felissia Lester & Doris Fair Amos Stowbridge, Jr. Jerry McCoy Sherry Brinson Tina Byrd Ernest Harris Larry Williams Tony Jones Lue Wiggins Julia Jones Rolando Bowen Lucinda Walker Julia Jones and Parcella Mosley Louise Sherrod

2017 SCHOOL-LEVEL TEACHERS OF THE YEAR Jennifer Cooper Beth Cannon Dr. Irina Bowen Talmeshia Parker Kristin N. Blythe Carlee James Dr. Deborah Cartee Penny S. Aubrey Susan M. Parrillo Vickki Carter Matt Olsen Jessica Elmore Carrie Fritch Charles Rockett

Tamra Lamb - The Georgia Science Teachers Association (GSTA) selected Tamra Lamb as its 2017 Georgia Science Teacher of Promise at the elementary school level. Lamb is a fifthgrade science and math teacher at Mattie Lively Elementary School.

Brooklet Elementary School Julia P. Bryant Elementary School Langston Chapel Elementary School Langston Chapel Middle School Mattie Lively Elementary School Nevils Elementary School Portal Elementary School Portal Middle High School Sallie Zetterower Elementary School Southeast Bulloch Middle School Southeast Bulloch High School Statesboro High School Stilson Elementary School William James Middle School

Matthew White – Statesboro High School’s Architecture & Construction instructor is one of 20 teachers selected for an inaugural statewide leadership development program, LEAD CTAE, sponsored by the CTAE Resource Network, the Georgia Department of Education, and the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education (GACTE).

SUSAN REAGAN, MILL CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BULLOCH COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR Susan Reagan is a reading teacher for kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Mill Creek Elementary School, where she has served for three years. She has helped support the language arts, reading and math skills of children in Bulloch County Schools for 23 years, particularly at Statesboro High, William James Middle and Nevils Elementary.

She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in literature and composition from Chapman University and the University of Virginia. She also obtained her specialist’s degree in learning disabilities and assessment from the University of Georgia.

Reagan began teaching because she wanted to impart her love of learning to others. “I know that I have granted the gift of literacy to many children,” Reagan said. “Those children can now read a test to earn a driver’s license, they can read a ballot to vote, in time they will read notes that come home to them as parents, and they will read to their own children at night. I know that my students are stronger, more capable because they can read. That is what influences me to strive daily to be the best reading teacher.”

2016-17 BULLOCH COUNTY SCHOOLS RETIREES

THIS YEAR’S RETIREES HAVE SERVED OUR COMMUNITY A TOTAL OF 544 YEARS. Theresa Beasley Terry Rushing Marsha Crosby Angela Kearney Prethenia Pryor Jan Cross Jack Webb Becky Renfroe Mooney Hill Nancy Kemp Martha White Anna Ruth Logan Julie Strickland Connie Floyd Shirley Jenkins Wanda Akins Bruce Law Ruthie Foss Barbara Hereford Donna Clifton

Donna Clifton – Southeast Bulloch High School’s former principal, Donna Clifton, who retired in May 2017, was awarded the Seven Seals Award by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

The prestigious national award is given to employers for their support of the Air National Guard and airmen.

Gil Riggs – Riggs won third place at the Georgia School Bus Driver Safety Competition in June 2017. This is the tenth time that a Bulloch County driver has finished in the top five at state and the sixth time for Riggs. He tested his skills against 50 other participants.

Drivers competed in three categories, bus inspection, written exam, and driving. Riggs won the state championship in 2011.

REACH GEORGIA

SUPPORT FOR INNOVATIVE TEACHERS

The Bulloch County Foundation for Public Education sponsors Bulloch County Schools’ participation in the state’s REACH Georgia Scholarship Program with a $7,500 annual contribution.

REACH Georgia is a needs-based mentoring and scholarship program designed to ensure that the state’s academically promising eighth-grade students have the academic, social and financial support needed to graduate from high school and complete college. Since 2013, the Foundation has contributed $37,500 to the college funds of 20 Bulloch County REACH Scholars. With local and state REACH Scholarship funds, plus agreements from more than 60 local and statewide post-secondary institutions, each of our REACH Scholars have $20,000 waiting for them once they complete college. These scholars are actively meeting strict academic, behavior and attendance requirements and meeting with an assigned mentor in order to remain scholarship eligible.

Since its creation in 2006, the Bulloch County Foundation for Public Education has funded nearly 200 innovative projects with grants totaling more than $190,000 for Bulloch County Schools’ teachers.

The Foundation provides a way for individuals, businesses, industry and civic organizations to invest in local public education. Each year the Foundation awards $20,000 in grants to teachers for innovative academic experiences, some of which benefit all children in Bulloch County, even local charter, private and home-schooled students.

FUNDRAISING EVENTS & CAMPAIGNS

The Statesboro Turkey Trot 5K is the Foundation’s major fundraising event. Join us in downtown Statesboro on Saturday, November 18, 2017, to run or walk for K-12 education in Bulloch County. The event is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving each year.

BULLOCH COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR The Bulloch County Foundation for Public Education annually provides a $1,000 grant to the Bulloch County Schools Teacher of the Year.

Recipient of the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals’ Patron and Distinguished Patron awards for 2014.

The Foundation is also supported by generous donations from businesses, educators and the public.

Please consider joining our efforts today with a tax deductible contribution. To learn more, contact 912-212-8530.

Bulloch County Foundation for Public Education 912.212.8530 | www.bullochschools.org/foundation 150 Williams Road, Suite A | Statesboro, GA 30458 T: 912.212.8500 | F: 912.212.8529 www.bullochschools.org | boe@bullochschools.org

FOCUS 2017-2018 proudly produced by

HOME 10 Tips for Timeless Luxury

5 Reasons You NEED a Real Estate Pro

Statesboro Magazine s Real Estate

The Five Reasons Why The Five Reasons You NEED a Real Estate Professional in your corner haven’t changed, but rather have been strengthened, due to the projections of higher mortgage interest rates & home prices as the market continues to pick up steam.

1. What do you do with all this paperwork?

Each state has different regulations regarding the contracts required for a successful sale, and these regulations are constantly changing. A true real estate professional is an expert in their market and can guide you through the stacks of paperwork necessary to make your dream a reality.

2. Ok, so you found your dream house, now what?

From title searches to home inspections, negotiating to closing, there are over 200 possible actions that need to take place during every successful real estate transaction. A real estate professional knows what these actions are and will work on your behalf to make sure that you acquire your dream.

Thank you for placing an ad with Statesboro Magazine. Below is your proof.

Please check it closely and let us know right away if there are any changes needed. * A watermark will appear over the ad when printing. *

Selling with Confidence.

Buying with Success.

TA NN E R R E ALT Y I’ve moved to a new home…and can’t wait to help you buy or sell yours!

As your agent, I promise to be dedicated to you and your needs, provide top-notch service, and help every step of the way. I look forward to the opportunity to serve you!

VALERIE A. THOMPSON, REALTOR® (912) 690-1519 | (912) 764-5485 | valerie@getrealtorboro.com 52 • Statesboro Magazine

The Key To All Of Your Real Estate Needs

Jaime Marsh, Realtor ÂŽ 912.690.7274 cell/text 912.489.4433 office Marsh@BuyStatesboro.com

Michelle Franklin, Associate Broker 912.481.0203 cell/ text 912.489.4433 office Michelle@BuyStatesboro.com

Statesboro Magazine s Real Estate

3. Are you a good negotiator?

You’re not just buying or selling your home, you’re selling the location, the school zone, convenience to restaurant and retail centers, and the property value of other homes in the neighborhood. No one knows the housing market better than the professionals whose job it is to buy and sell homes every day. They are prepared to represent your best interests with the buyer (who wants the best deal possible), the home inspection companies, the appraiser, the mortgage company, and any number of others involved in the process.

4. What is the home you’re buying/selling really worth?

It is important for your home to be priced correctly from the start to attract the right buyers and shorten the time that it’s on the market. You need someone who is not emotionally connected to your home to give you the truth as to your home’s value.

5. Do you know what’s really going on in the market?

There is so much information out there on the news and the internet about home sales, prices, and mortgage rates; how do you know what’s going on specifically in your area? Hiring an agent who has their finger on the pulse of the market will make your buying or selling experience an educated one. You need someone who is going to tell you the truth, not just what they think you want to hear.

Bottom Line You wouldn’t replace the engine in your car without a trusted mechanic.

Why would you make one of the most important financial decisions of your life without hiring a Real Estate Professional?

James C. Lanier III Mortgage Banker, VP NMLS ID: 588644

Carolyn Ethridge Market President NMLS ID: 510459

Landon Lanier Mortgage Banker NMLS ID: 664136

Statesboro, GA 173 Northside Drive East | 912.489.9500 | 335 South Main Street | 912.764.8900 www.renasantbank.com 54 • Statesboro Magazine

NMLS ID: 402669

AS A GSU GRADUATE, I AM EXTREMELY HONORED TO BE

PAUL NEWMAN

THE OFFICIAL REALTOR OF GEORGIA SOUTHERN ATHLETICS

OFFICE: 912-489-4433 | CELL: 912-481-1117 WWW.BUYSTATESBORO.COM 1550 BRAMPTON AVENUE, SUITE A | STATESBORO, GA

Insta

Statesboro Magazine s Real Estate

10 Tips for Timeless Luxury 1. Create a design that is rooted in function and problem-solving; luxury is all about the personal, custom approach to a design solution.

2. Always design the “bones� of the interior (walls, floors, ceilings) to be permanent since these set the stage of the overall design.

3. Create an architectural background with important detailing that gives uniqueness and definition to the home, including creative and proper lighting solutions.

4. Use natural materials like stone, fine woods, and marbles that convey a sense of permanence and help to reflect the surrounding landscape.

5. Choose furnishings with interesting finishes that add to the overall composition and character of the home.

6. Select materials or fabrics that are durable yet have rich color tones and textures that are inviting and can feel luxurious.

7. Use your knowledge and personal preferences to guide decisions for color and furnishings. Trendy colors can make your decor soon look dated.

8. Stay clean and always refine - and avoid too much clutter. Luxury is often seen through fine line and clarity.

9. Luxury is also conveyed with consistency in design throughout the home, inside and out. Stay true to the architectural elements.

10. Timeless luxury design can be contemporary, modern, traditional, transitional, or casual eclectic as long as it is done with quality details and thoughtful choices.

56 • Statesboro Magazine

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JCH Homebuilders’ owner, James Hendry, has been building custom homes in Bulloch and the surrounding counties since 2003.

We pride ourselves on working together with clients, watching visions evolve, and building a home buyers are excited to move into. JCH Homebuilders provides standard upgrades and architectural detail in every home adding creativity to the finish work.

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REMODEL RENOVATION July/August 2017 • 57

Statesboro Magazine s Tech Gurus

58 • Statesboro Magazine

Statesboro Magazine s Tech Gurus

Tech Gurus

Technology is everywhere, entwined in almost every part of our lives. It affects how we shop, socialize, connect, play, learn, and most importantly do business. The TECH GURUS main focus has always been to resolve issues in a fast efficient manner and focus on customer service that is second to none. This special section highlights those IT experts who work as part of your team to understand your business and operational needs, leverage your existing technological investments, and helping you to take advantage of the cloud and emerging technologies. Our GURUS work to enhance your performance in areas critical to business success and growth. They are dedicated to providing the skills, experience and resources to help you meet your business needs with innovative, cost-effective technology solutions. The TECH GURUS featured here care about you, your business, your team, your productivity, your data – your digital life.

WE GET I.T.

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Capstone Technology Solutions gets it. They consumer, and business services that include but not limited to hardware repair and installation, network design and installation, managed support services, refurbished computer sales, computer upgrades, VOIP phone systems, virus removal, web design and hosting, Affordable Care Act, and camera and security systems. Call today or stop by to find your solution! 912-662-6900 | callcaptech.com | 1100 Brampton Avenue, Suite N, Statesboro | info@callcaptech.com

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The Chief Skills to Lead

Mike Broadhead Has

The Chief Skills to Lead Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune

60 • Statesboro Magazine

The Chief Skills to Lead

July/August 2017 • 61

The Chief Skills to Lead

62 • Statesboro Magazine

M

Mike Broadhead remembers vividly the moment he felt called to be a policeman. He was in third grade and watching as a police officer waved to him from his patrol car. From that moment to this, Broadhead has explored the role of law enforcement officer for almost 33 years.

From Westminster, Colorado, he joined the U.S. Army in 1984 at the age of 18, where he served as a Military Policeman for 3 years. After being honorably discharged in June of 1988, Broadhead entered the police academy at Columbia College in nearby Denver, Colorado.

He was hired by the Littleton, Colorado, Police Department where he served for 21.5 years. In Littleton, Broadhead worked his way through the ranks of the police department serving in just about every capacity.

“I did everything from training to dispatch records. I was always open to the opportunity to do something different,” said Broadhead.

Broadhead served as the Police Chief for his last seven years in Littleton before retiring after putting in over 20 years of service there.

“Working in traffic and as a detective and then chief, I learned that there is a right way to do the job. I believe the Chief sets the tone of how an agency will operate. It’s my responsibility to make sure we do the job right,” he said.

Broadhead has been on the job long enough to see a change in how the public perceives law enforcement officers.

“The job of policeman is complicate because people are complicated,” said Broadhead.

“There are people you meet who may be under the influence of drugs. There may be dynamic perps that challenge you, but there is a way to set the tone of how to treat and interact with people. And our goal will always be service.”

Broadhead is philosophical about the role of law enforcement in society as a whole.

The Chief Skills to Lead

“Police have moved away from communities.

On the other side, the public expects the police to solve problems that they are not willing or able to solve,” Broadhead said. “There’s poverty, the lack of good parenting, mental illness, those are problems that the police deal with every day, but we’re not equipped to solve. Some police departments have withdrawn from their communities to assess how to best serve and create a safe community even on the ugliest day.”

To alleviate those social problems, Broadhead believes constant training of the force and establishing a culture of service with protocols in place for how situations will be handled, will create a way of doing business that is focused on the community.

His motto is “Duty, Honor, and Community.” To him, that’s what policing is all about.

“With Duty, you ask yourself, ‘What are my responsibilities? What are we trying to accomplish?’ he said. “With Honor the question is ‘How do we do it?’ Then comes Community, and that’s the whole reason why we are here.”

The idea of constant training of officers is especially important to Broadhead.

“In July we will have a change of schedule and there will be a full time Training Officer for Statesboro,” he said. “We will give incentives for extra training obtained by our officers, for example we’ll pay overtime to those who spend extra practice time on the gun range.”

He thinks it will serve to bring everyone up to the same level. “We need to have all our officers fully trained to the same standard,” said Broadhead. “How an officer uses force is a function of good training. We will train properly and implement new policies so that all officers understand the spirit and effectiveness of the department.”

With a very young force, Broadhead believes through professional training, the officers will always default to the highest level of training attained. Broadhead would like to also send officers to training in Forsyth at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, who can return to share their training with the department back home.

Broadhead sees his greatest challenge in the recruitment of officers, what he calls finding the right people. “Because of the national mood towards law enforcement in general, we’re finding fewer and fewer candidates.” Keeping officers motivated and respected, while only being able to offer low wages is challenging also.

“I’m looking for the right person with a spirit of service and a sense of duty. We must pay them a rate where they can make a living,” he said. “Officers are hired on behalf of the public to take care of problems.”

In December of 2009, he left Littleton to accept the job as Chief of Police for the city of Riverton, Wyoming, where he served for seven more years in law enforcement before moving to Statesboro in April of this year.

Broadhead’s wife Kristen, and sons Jack (16), and Cole (13), have moved to Statesboro this summer after school ended for the year. This fall Jack will be a junior at Statesboro High School and Cole is enrolled at William James.

Broadhead credits his family and God with influencing his career and his commitment to his calling. “My wife and my boys have been a great influence on who I am today. We’ve been married 20 years and I know that I want to lead a life of integrity so that I never embarrass my family. I am a Christian man, and I believe that this job is a calling,” he said.

He also gives credit to his parents for the way he was brought up. “I grew up in a stable home environment with good parents who always encouraged me to do my best.”

Broadhead also had a mentor, Ray Richert, a friend of his father’s, on the force in Littleton, who he credits with teaching him how to be a real policeman.

Other inspiration comes from his faith. “I believe in prayer and spending time in reading the Bible,” he said. “You don’t pack up everything you own and move 2,000 miles away unless you have faith.”

There are some things about law enforcement that Broadhead is certain about. Officers need on-going training throughout their careers. Officers need encouragement to go back to school, because as society’s problem solvers, they need a large toolbox. Police are a tool in solving those problems, not the answer. Broadhead hopes to give his officers the confidence to always ask for help.

“I think if we can have a well-trained police department, giving them the skills to do a good job, and if we teach service to the community and have our officers connect with residents, then we will have gone a long way in establishing a good relationship with our residents based on trust and community service,” he said. S

July/August 2017 • 63

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64 • Statesboro Magazine

Tormenta FC s Heidi Jeffers

Tormenta FC Explodes in the 2017 Season with High Energy, High Expectations and Amazing New Partnerships

T Tormenta FC began the 2017 season with a first time ever event for Savannah, Georgia, Tormenta FC versus the USL’s Charleston Battery. The teams went head-to-head in an exhibition game on Wednesday, May 10th at Daffin Park in Savannah, Georgia. The match is a part of the newly signed affiliation agreement between the teams and kicked off the 2017 season for Tormenta FC of Statesboro.

Savannah native Nico Rittmeyer of the Battery enjoyed valuable minutes on the field against his former club, Tormenta FC. The Charleston Battery star played with the Tormenta FC PDL team during their inaugural season in 2016, scoring three goals and creating many more goal-scoring opportunities. On trial with Charleston Battery since the beginning of the year, Rittmeyer was signed to the USL side in late March!

Another partnership emerging this season is with 20-year coaching veteran John Murphy, head men’s soccer coach at Georgia Southern University. Murphy has 10 years of coaching

experience in the professional ranks - including having coached in over 300 professional matches. Also, with his outstanding college career, he was named 2016 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. This season, Tormenta FC has two amazing players from Georgia Southern, Justin Little and Nick Wells. Murphy worked closely with Tormenta’s Head Coach, John Miglarese to ensure the players were in the right position, and ready for an explosive 2017 season on the field with Tormenta FC. “The fact that we will have a local connection to a strong PDL franchise means our program, our University, and our city will be in the spotlight year-round. With the USL’s overall growth taking place at every level of their club system, we cannot help but benefit from such development. Our players will grow at an accelerated rate and ultimately, Tormenta will help show the local community how exciting soccer can be,” said Murphy.

Tormenta FC’s talent on the field this year has

been a spectacle for fans. With over ten countries represented, the team’s chemistry has melded with each successive game. Charlie Dennis, Jamie Merriam, and Max Hasenstab lead the front line of Tormenta FC’s attacks, creating chances and scoring goals regularly. Tormenta FC also has strength on the defensive side of the ball.

With newcomers Josh Phelps and Leland Archer partnering with veteran player Ayao Sossou, Tormenta has ensured a solid backline for the 2017 season.

Tormenta FC has faced some amazing new teams this season. With Nashville SC, Myrtle Beach, and Tormenta FC in the mix, the South Atlantic Division is exploding with new talent, pushing to pursue a move to the professional ranks of soccer. Only two games to go before the Eastern Conference Final Four Tournament is played in Statesboro, July 21 – 23, 2017. Don’t miss the last two chances at home to see the powerful young team in action: June 24th and July 15th!

July/August 2017 • 65

I

True Blue GS s Doy Cave

I

An Education That Fits Your Life If you’re “of a certain age,” as I am, with more than three children, as I have, it’s difficult to imagine taking college courses.

When my wife and I aren’t making dinner, making grocery runs to get ingredients for said dinner, or keeping ravenous children at bay until said dinner is finished, our evenings are spent at the library, at school events, running errands, at sports events, transporting children to random destinations, and avoiding cardiac events.

In short, it’s difficult to imagine fitting “Bayesian Statistics I” into the melee.

Thankfully, however, with the growth of technology and a rising demand for more flexible education, colleges and universities have taken their most popular degree programs online, a format that allows students like me — no matter their age, family or work situation — to learn at their own pace, wherever they are.

“I think Georgia Southern was an early adopter of online programming,” said Tracy Linderholm, Ph.D., professor and associate dean of graduate education and research in the College of Education at the University. “Faculty just un-

derstood that our service region is rural, it’s wide, it’s vast and we need to be flexible, and they were willing to go that direction in order to meet the needs of our constituents.”

Georgia Southern currently has more than 35 fully online programs, from part-time certificate programs and bachelor’s degrees to online graduate degrees such as the MBA and a highly specialized doctoral degree in nursing practice.

And far from being a simple trove of text files and message boards, or some lesser version of oncampus classes, these programs are highly interactive, personal and reputable.

Current technological advances and the explosion of internet bandwidth have taken online learning to new levels. According to Ursula Pritham, Ph.D., WHNP-BC, FNP-BC, associate professor of nursing and the director of the graduate nursing program at Georgia Southern, her online students can get some of the same hands-on patient training as her in-person students.

Through online applications such as iHuman, a “virtual patient” application, family nurse

practitioner students can conduct histories and physical assessments, check vitals, review lab reports and view diagnostic images to develop differential diagnoses and get feedback on their decisions — all from their home computer.

“Students are able to practice with virtual patients before going into a clinical setting to properly care for a patient because they’ve had an opportunity to care for a virtual patient,” she said.

Professors can offer a wide range of resources for their students, both inside the University’s learning management system (LMS), known as Folio, or using a third-party application provided by textbook publishers. In addition, the advent of video chat and audio/video recording through the computer allows professors to have virtual office hours and talk with students wherever they are, offering real-time feedback on papers, projects and other class assignments.

These technologies eliminate the feeling that you are on your own with class material.

“You can create the feeling that the professor is with you step by step — not some kind of automaton that you’re dealing with online,” said Steve Stewart, Ph.D., assistant professor of management. “The professor is really meeting with you, really walking with you, really answering your questions as though you were meeting with them in their office.”

With a focus on hands-on learning and quality, student-centered teaching, Georgia Southern’s online programs have consistently been ranked among the best online programs in the nation. U.S. News and World Report ranked the graduate business, nursing, education and computer science programs among the 100 best in the country, and several other publications have placed nursing and other programs among their best.

“Whether you’re taking an undergraduate class online or a graduate-level class online, you are being taught by the same highly qualified faculty member who is teaching these very same classes face-to-face,” said Stewart. “And you’re being taught by that faculty member who was hired into a highly accredited program.”

So even if you feel like your “free time” consists of the 12 steps it takes to get from your front door to your car, online education gives you the flexibility to take your coursework wherever you go.

And whether you’re looking for a certificate that will sharpen your skills in the workplace or a graduate degree that will take your career to the next level, Georgia Southern has a program that fits your life. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu/online.

July/August 2017 • 67

Talk Town OF THE

Statesboro’s Weekly Community Calendar

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6/4/12 10:42 AM

The Spiritual Pathway s Rev. Dr. H. William Perry

D

We All Do Better When We Work Together During Benjamin Franklin’s experiments with electricity some Frenchmen were conducting their own experiments, and one of the things they wanted to know was how fast electricity moves. As they pondered over the question one of the men suggested that they line up a large number of people, hand to hand, and

touch the first one with a live electric wire to see how fast the electricity would move through the group. But where in the world would they find a big group willing to participate?

The abbot of a large French monastery heard of the scientists’ dilemma and volunteered his monks for the experiment. The monks had tak-

en a vow of obedience so they had no choice but to do what their leader commanded. So 1,000 of them lined up, each holding the hands of the ones standing next to him. Then an electric current was applied to the first man in line, and according to an account of this experiment, every one of those 1,000 monks jumped up in the air at precisely the same moment. That must have been quite a sight!

As I read of this experiment several things came to my mind. First, electricity moves with astonishing speed. Second, abbots in French monasteries in the eighteenth century had tremendous authority over the brothers. And third, wouldn’t it be wonderful if 1,000 people in a community today could get excited enough to jump in the air at the same time!

That’s called enthusiasm! Wouldn’t you like to see a large group become enthusiastic over an important issue? I heard of a little boy who disappeared from his yard. The house the boy’s family lived in was surrounded by a tremendously large corn field. The family called all their neighbors, asking that they come over and help them search for their little three-year old.

A large group searched the fields for hours but no one found him. They all came back to the yard, weary but determined, and someone suggested that they form a line, hold hands, and walk through the corn. That way no row would be skipped over. Sure enough, after several trips up and down, up and down the rows, someone cried out, “Here he is!” Sleeping in the shade of a stalk. He was picked up and carried back to the house. What a celebration those neighbors had! Then someone spoke: “Why didn’t we hold hands earlier?” Good question.

Years ago I read that every group tends to go through three stages. They start out as risk takers, with a sense of mission and purpose and destiny. They are adventurous and daring in their approach to life, as they launch out and attempt new things.

And then after a while as they grow older and larger they become care takers. They settle down and are at ease, comfortable with what they have, ready to maintain and defend the status quo.

Then many organizations, groups, or communities move into the undertaker stage. The spirit has gone out of them and they are just existing. I’ve seen it happen to churches, civic clubs, even towns. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Someone with vision can reintroduce passion and enthusiasm into any group. Then you can see everybody filled with joy and jumping into the air at the same time. Lord, let it be.

July/August 2017 • 69

BETTY FOY SANDERS FLUID STRUCTURES Sept. 25 – Oct. 13, 2017 UNIVERSITY GALLERY Center for Art & Theatre

GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY Georgia Artists Collection 50th Anniversary Celebration Thursday, Sept. 28 | 5 p.m.

Center for Art & Theatre

Fluid Structures offers viewers a look at recent works by Betty Foy Sanders, one of the South’s most vibrant artists.

Featuring more than 40 drawings and paintings made within the last five years, Fluid Structures is the final exhibition in a career that spans the mid-20th century to today.

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The View From Here s Ric Mandes

I

Midnight Dream It is March. The tenth day. 1953! The sun is in the beginning stages of a new birth lighting the cottages and the three dirt roads of my village, of my hamlet for the past eleven years.

I had grown from a nine-year-old lad to now, age twenty. Snug and comfortable was this chamber. I looked around, gathering details to take with me this coming afternoon when I would board a bus for Jacksonville to be inducted as Private Richard J. Mandes. I had been drafted to a “call of arms.” We were at war with North Korea.

Granny gave me a good hug, so did my Aunt Minnie and girlfriend Sarah. As the bus pulled away from the Brunswick Depot, I made a decision to go with the next twenty four months by accepting the Army way. And I never released that commitment to myself. It held me together the week at Fort Jackson and on to Fort Bliss, Texas. There, I kept that mantle about me as I went through a brutal 16 weeks of unbending military training in the arid hot deserts of West Texas.

I flew home for a seven-day furlough. I reported to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where I would board a troop ship and spend six days on the high sea of the Atlantic, Our destination was Germany were I would spend eleven months as a clerk typist.

My stationed appointment was Frankfurt.

For those eleven months, this soldier immersed himself in being involved with life in the city as it rebuilt the devastation left by screaming U.S. bombing raids. Every day we traveled to work amidst mounds of rubble. The damned epitaph of war.

It was the beginning of winter of 1953 when I met Rhea. She spoke broken English. We met while seated on the trolley. She was twenty. Rhea was attempting to set up a one-chair hair salon.

We became good friends through the E.M. Club in downtown Frankfurt. At least one night-aweek we visited over dinner. We discussed her experience as a teenager hearing bombs screaming in the night. She looked at me with tears and declared strongly, “You don’t want to ever hear bombs.”

Though her salon was catching on, the profit was weak. So this beautiful young lady developed a relationship with a retired German busi-

ness man. Up in years, he grieved the loss of his wife and two sons during an allied bombing raid.

War is hell. She favored him on the weekends.

Oh, yes. I have looked into the eyes of this determined survivor. And to this day I remember our last dinner. I was being reassigned to a camp just outside of Paris.

We walked the cobblestones moist with the evening dew. She looked at me and said, “G.I. come with me and let me make you feel good and happy.” I hugged her strong and long and whispered, “Good-bye, my lady of the night.”

I watched her walk into the darkness. I knew I would forever remember her courage to make it back to a normal life for her and her mother.

Paris! January, 1954.

Camp de Loges resting ten kilometers outside the jeweled city.

A year of my true awaking. Deep and abiding friendships with the Boys in the Bay. Al, Hutch, Joe, Manny, and Walt. On the weekends we became comfortable with the availability of The Mona Lisa, The Eiffel Tower, The Follies,

and The Gardens of Versailles. We spent our last Christmas together in the elegant snow slopes of Garnish, Germany. I became a good friend with Esther Eason of Pontiac, Michigan. We spent many an afternoon over coffee talking about our lives; where we’ve been and where we might be headed. She celebrated my twenty-second birthday with me on January 16, 1955.

And then it was over.

In February, 1955, I came home.

That first night as I lie in bed in Granny’s cottage I fall asleep only to come awake at three in the morning. Nothing had changed in Dock Junction. The three dirt roads, Granny’s wash shed. Her garden. Sitting there in the dark, I wondered had all this really happened? My lady of the night? The still grotesque rubble in Frankfurt? The Eiffel tower? The Louvre. Mona Lisa? A weekend in Barcelona? A glass of wine on a sunny Saturday afternoon at an outdoor café tucked into a corner of the Champ Elysees.

Had it been a dream or had I become a Child of Destiny?

July/August 2017 • 71

LOOK AROUND Business After Hours Sponsored by Downtown Statesboro Development Authority & The Averitt Center for the Arts Springhill Suites by Marriott Unveils $1 Million Renovation Donates $1,000 to Averitt Center Thursday, June 15, 2017

72 • Statesboro Magazine

July/August 2017 • 73

TRANSITIONS

“Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back everything is different?”

- C. S. Lewis Mr. Carl Olliff Akins

04.11.17

Mr. Steven Lee Hart

05.27.17

Mr. Ernesto “Nesto” Pagan

05.19.17

Mrs. Sybil Cowart Allen

05.17.17

Mr. David Lee Hart, Sr.

05.04.17

Mr. Guy Edward Parker

05.22.17

Mrs. Carolyn Alston

04.24.17

Mrs. Jacklyn Daughtry “Jackie” Herrington 05.31.17

Mrs. Robbie Faye Jones Parrish

04.05.17

Mr. Lee Edward “Ed” Anderson

05.11.17

Mr. Michael A. “Tony” Hicks

04.17.17

Mr. Timothy Justin Pate

04.09.17

Mr. Jesse Eugene “Dick” Baker

05.26.17

Mrs. Faye Bragg Holsten

05.12.17

Dr. John R. Pickett

04.22.17

Mr. Lewis “Carroll” Batten

04.26.17

Mr. Glen “G.I.” Irvin

04.16.17

Mr. Scotty Allen Pless

04.24.17

Staff Sgt. Robert H. Best

04.05.17

Mrs. Jacqueline Jackson

04.22.17

Mrs. Elizabeth Pretlow

04.10.17

Mr. James Willie Bradshaw

05.09.17

Mrs. Gwendolyn Johnson

05.17.17

Mrs. Margaret Quarles

05.27.17

Mr. Wesley Bragg

04.01.17

Mr. Woffard Johnston Joiner, Jr.

05.30.17

Mr. Sylvester Raymond

05.14.17

Mrs. Jewel Flythe Bragg

05.19.17

Dr. Kathryn Anne Richardson Jones

04.05.17

Mrs. Artimeece Riggs Grant Reid

03.03.17

Mr. Wyley William Brannen, Jr.

04.04.17

Mr. Billy “Uncle Bill” Jones

05.01.17

Mrs. Nancy Marie Lee Rigdon

04.18.17

Ms. Sandra Faye Brown

04.08.17

Mrs. Ruby Grant Joseph

05.04.17

Mr. Willie Roberson

04.02.17

Mrs. Anne Tootle Browning

04.15.17

Mrs. Dorothy Jean Gossett Kelly

05.20.17

Mrs. Eva Mae Mikell Rock

04.08.17

Mr. Charles Bunch

04.07.17

Mrs. Supun Kim Kouch

04.15.17

Mr. Darrell Wayne Rodgers

05.22.17

Mr. William Gay Canuette, Sr.

01.15.17

Mrs. Marianne Deloache Lackey

05.08.17

Dr. James Alfred “Al” Rowton

04.15.17

Mr. Curtis Lee Carter

05.15.17

Mrs. Camille Eastmead Edenfield Lanier

04.07.17

Mrs. Patricia T. Russell

04.10.17

Mr. James Raleigh “Jimbo” Clark

04.15.17

Mrs. Loree Waters Lanier

05.21.17

Mr. Frank Henry Rutherford

04.17.17

Master Levi Josiah Clark

05.01.17

Mr. Willard Hill Lariscy, Jr.

04.19.17

Mr. Michael Thomas Sanders

04.22.17

Mrs. Vivian Cooper

05.26.17

Mr. William Maull “Bill” Lawrence

05.16.17

Mrs. Sally Fordham Scearce

05.14.17

Mr. Johnny Wade Crosby

05.26.17

Ms. Martha Jean Lawton

05.19.17

Ms. Teresa Ann “Tiki” Scott

05.26.17

Mr. John Howard Davis, Jr.

05.29.17

Mrs. Odella Jones Lee

04.27.17

Elder Bennie Smith

04.11.17

Mrs. Frances Cook Deal

05.14.17

Mrs. Lila Lanier Lively

04.21.17

Mrs. Mary Ann Thomas Smith

05.04.17

Mr. Roger Neal DeFoe

04.18.17

Ms. Louise J. Byrd McCall

05.17.17

Mr. Charles Christian Sorensen

04.18.17

Mrs. Marilyn H. DiViesti

05.14.17

Mr. Otis E. McClain

04.01.17

Mr. Charles Herbert “Chuck” Sumner, III

04.01.17

Mr. Charles Benjamin Dixon

04.01.17

Mrs. Emma Jean McKeehan

05.07.17

Mr. Brett Alan Tanner

05.20.17

Mrs. Mechelle Lynn Duncan

05.19.17

Ms. Cordelia Elizabeth “Bettie” McLemore 05.27.17

Deacon Billie Taylor

05.11.17

Mr. DeWitt Lamar Durden

04.05.17

Mrs. Keisha Mercer

05.11.17

Mr. Tracy Lane Thompson

04.21.17

Mr. Alan Ross Early

05.05.17

Mrs. Ruth Smucker Miller

04.10.17

Mrs. Elizabeth Kelly Tolton

04.13.17

Mrs. Gladys Grace Robbins Fail

05.12.17

Mr. Charlie Joe “Tee” Mincey

04.28.17

Mr. Moses C. Watkins

05.10.17

Ms. Sarah Elizabeth Fain

04.03.17

Mrs. Ernestine Fordham Minick

05.02.17

Mrs. Rosa Lee Wells

05.27.17

Dr. Waldo Emerson Floyd, Jr.

04.20.17

Mrs. Ruby Brower Mock

04.17.17

Mrs. Claudine Williams

04.07.17

Mr. Joe Hudson Giddens, Sr.

05.30.17

Mrs. Mary Moffett-Daughtry

04.30.17

Mrs. Gail Williams

04.23.17

Mrs. Mary Ann Hodges Green

05.07.17

Mr. Albert William Murray

05.18.17

Mrs. Voncile Mikell Williams

04.27.17

Mrs. Frances Brannen Griffin

04.28.17

Mr. Harold Edward Newton

05.08.17

Mrs. Ann Ruth Hodges Winskie

04.03.17

Mr. Wayne “Bob” Gunnels

05.22.17

Mr. James Newton, Jr.

03.31.17

Mrs. Carolyn Jean Pollard Wise

04.10.17

Mrs. Elizabeth Saxon Deal Harn

04.24.17

Mr. David Olson

05.02.17

Mr. Randall Douglas “Randy” Woods

05.26.17

Mr. John Allen Harris

05.19.17

Mrs. Donna Louise Denham O’Toole

04.20.17

Mr. David D. Woods, Jr.

04.12.17

74 • Statesboro Magazine

Wishing You a Most Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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